


Supernovian

by Snugglebuttkitten



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien salt, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alya Salt, Anxiety Disorder, Bullying, Depression, F/F, F/M, Identity Reveal, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Inspired By If I Stay (Movie), Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi Lies, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Panic Attacks, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt, Trigger Warnings, class salt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:20:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23523727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snugglebuttkitten/pseuds/Snugglebuttkitten
Summary: They say that the stars that burn the brightest create the biggest explosions. This natural phenomenon is called a Supernova, and it is as beautiful as it is destructive.Marinette Dupain-Cheng was one of these stars. She was kind, selfless, talented, and beloved by all who came into contact with her. But when Marinette finds herself alone, abandoned and abused by those she loves the most, she finds she can't handle the pressure. Eventually, something's gotta give and there is only so much stress she can take before she explodes into a million beautiful, brilliant colors. What no one seems to realize, is that when Marinette explodes the blast could be enough to level all of Paris.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki, Plagg/Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug), Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain
Comments: 354
Kudos: 986





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicide, Self Harm, Depression, and Anxiety/Panic Attack Disorders are all fairly large themes in this story. If any of that makes you uncomfortable, please refer to one of my brighter and happier stories.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 02/18/2021 - Post Rewrite. Feel Free To Inform of any remaining discrepancies if they present themselves

Marinette Dupain-Cheng could very clearly remember the last time she had been genuinely happy. It was about a year ago, a Saturday, and she was down in the bakery with Alya and her father. Her mother was manning the cash register, while the two girls were helping her father with a large order of cupcakes for some children’s birthday party the next day. The party was Hero themed, a common theme as the popularity of Team Miraculous rose, and the girls had been laughing as they decorated the tiny cakes. It was one of the few times Marinette can recall in the last year that she had been so blissfully carefree, joking as Alya painstakingly affixed the fondant ears to her Rena cupcakes and being teased in return as she carefully placed the black spots on her cupcakes just so.

Tom Dupain had even surprised them when they were done by announcing that they had made a few too many and insisted the girls take them upstairs to snack on while they watched movies. Nobody mentioned the fact that Tom was meticulous at his work or that there was no way he had accidentally made too many cupcakes. It was just one of those things. That night had signified one of the last days that Marinette and Alya had seen eye to eye, that they could confidently call themselves friends. The next day, Lila Rossi would enact the start of her plan to subsequently take away everything Marinette Dupain-Cheng held near and dear. Her close friendships, the respect of her teachers, her credibility as a designer, even the trust of her parents, all of it would be chipped away little by little, until Marinette found herself as alone as Lila had promised her the day she returned to school.

Now, a year into Lila’s plot, Marinette had nothing. She was friendless, looked down upon by her teachers and deemed untrustworthy by her parents. The only thing she truly had left was Ladybug, and the burden of keeping both identities separate was threatening to overwhelm her. The weight of the world was resting on shoulders far too fragile to bear the weight and she was beginning to fracture. She could see it, Lila could see it, and she was certain Tikki could see it too. The tiny Goddess hadn’t said as much, but Marinette wouldn’t be surprised if she and Master Fu took the earrings and gave them to someone more deserving of the honor. She was too soft, too weak to hold a title such as Hero. She was useless, she was nothing. Considering the amount of people who had told her so, she figured it must be true.

Rolling over, Marinette allowed her gaze to travel to the skylight overhead. Her eyes felt itchy but no tears came. She had long since cried herself dry. Even Hawkmoth’s Akumas deemed her unworthy; they had stopped showing up a few months ago when the numbness started to seep in, wiping out the pain with something far, far worse. Curling in on herself, she released a shuddering breath. She was so cold and so numb; she almost missed the pain because at least when she was in pain she knew she was feeling something. The sound of glass shattering below briefly roused her from her self-deprecating thoughts and distantly, she was aware that her parents were arguing again. They did that a lot lately and it was all her fault. It had to be her fault because her parents never argued, or they hadn’t until recently. She tries not to listen, but she can’t help it. They’re getting louder, too loud in the otherwise silent apartment. She wonders how loud they will have to get before a neighbor complains. A noise complaint would be just another in the long list of ways that she has ruined her parents lives with her presence.

Marinette closes her eyes and tries to mentally block out the screaming but it is hard. Her mental barriers have all but crumbled since the last of her resolve to fight, to stand against Lila and her lies, fell away. Apparently, her parents are arguing about whether to send Marinette away or not. Her father is against it; he might be disappointed in what a failure she is, but she is still his little girl and he still loves her. Her mother wants her to go, thinks it might do her some good and, though she won’t admit this to anyone else, Marinette knows part of her just wants her to be gone. Their house has thin walls and she had heard her Maman crying at night about where she went wrong and how she could have raised a daughter like Marinette. She knows her mother secretly resents her, if not outright hates her. Maybe she should go, before her parents get a divorce because of her. She would feel awful if she was the reason that their marriage crumbled. They used to be so happy; all three of them used to be so happy. Now things were hanging on by a thread and it all came down to her. To Marinette.

_ My fault, _ she thought mournfully.  _ It’s all my fault. Maybe Lila was right, maybe I am a terrible person and no one will love me because I am selfish and I ruin everything. Maybe I was meant to be the Holder of the Black Cat, because all I bring is destruction. Maybe everyone would be better off if I just disappeared. _

Now there was a thought. Maybe everyone would be better off if she was well and truly gone. Her mother was already trying to send her away, no one at school wanted her around and she didn’t really want to burden her mother’s family with her presence either. Besides, she was so tired of being and feeling alone. She just wanted it to all be over. Paris didn’t really need her, they just needed a Ladybug. Someone else could easily fill those shoes if she was just to step down and let them.

“Hey, Tikki?” She asked in the quiet room. She hadn’t realized that her parents had stopped yelling but the whole house was eerily silent now. They had to be up really early to open the bakery, so likely they had gone to bed. They probably wouldn’t notice she was gone until noon when one of them dragged themselves upstairs to make her lunch. After a moment, the Kwami appeared beside her with worry in her bright blue eyes.

“Yes, Marinette?” She squeaked, cuddling into her Chosen’s cheek. Marinette wished she had the strength to smile but her lips seemed permanently turned down at the corners and lifting them seemed like far too much effort.

“Do you think we could go for a run?” She questioned, earning a sad smile from her friend. She supposed she still had Tikki, and Master Fu, and maybe Chat Noir? Maybe not, though. He still loved Ladybug, but he had stopped visiting Marinette around the same time her friends had abandoned her. His last words to her had been that he was disappointed in her because she was being so mean to Lila. Before, that might have hurt and angered her enough to yell at him as Ladybug. But Chat Noir was one of the few people she had left and she couldn’t bear to alienate him from both sides of the mask. Even still, three people wasn’t enough, but maybe that was her being selfish again.

“You know you never need to ask,” she chirped sweetly. Marinette nodded and slowly pushed herself up, ignoring the way her muscles ached in protest. She had spent far too long laying in this spot, just staring at her ceiling. Her parents hadn’t even noticed that she hadn’t been to school since Monday afternoon (it was now Friday), after Lila and Alya had been particularly cruel to her during lunch period. Calling for her transformation, Ladybug pushed through the skylight and threw her yoyo out. She had no destination in mind, swinging through the streets listlessly and without the joy she once felt. The night was quiet, the full moon visible in a clear sky. 

It was winter and snow blanketed the rooftops. She might have once found it beautiful, even though the ladybug in her hated the cold. Now that she thought about it, she was pretty sure it was Christmas Eve. In the past, she and Chat Noir would have arranged to meet at the Eiffel Tower at midnight to exchange gifts and wish each other a happy holiday before returning to their warm beds and their families. They hadn’t arranged anything this year, as far as she was aware, but she found herself making her way to the Eiffel Tower nonetheless. It was empty, just as she had guessed and she landed on the uppermost platform well above what the general public had access too. Being up here, looking out over a sea of twinkling lights, had once made her feel powerful and invincible. It made her feel as if she could touch the stars. Now it made her feel small and insignificant, weak and broken. She was unworthy of this sort of beauty. Dropping her gaze, she looked to the ground that lay so very far below.

It would be so easy, ridiculously easy, to just end it all here and now. It would be so easy to drop her transformation and just step into the open air. She would die on impact, released from the pain and the suffering that was her life. The Miraculous and Tikki would be okay; it was invincible and Tikki would hide until Wayzz was able to slip into the hospital and steal the earrings. Reaching up, she lightly fingered the small orbs before dropping her hand. She had never considered that she would be the type to hurt herself. Her life had once been so happy, so full of love and warmth. She had been blessed with doting parents, close friendships, a gift for fashion and the privilege to fight for and defend her city. But she had squandered those blessings until they lay in shambles at her feet. She deserved to die.

Pulling out her yoyo, Ladybug flipped it open and dialed one of the few numbers programmed within. She wasn’t surprised when the voicemail picked up instead of her partner. It was well past midnight and Chat Noir was undoubtedly sleeping soundly, unaware of what the news would bring in the morning. His cheerful greeting filled her ears and finally seemed to unlock her long dormant tear ducts, if the sudden stinging was any indication. _ “Hi, you’ve reached Chat Noir! I can’t come to the phone right meow, but I’ll call you back as soon as pawsible! Stay clawsome!” _

“You never change,” Ladybug said with a strained giggle after the message ended and she heard the beep that told her it was recording. “I’m sorry for calling so late, Kitty. I just… I needed to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t be a better Ladybug, and I’m sorry I failed you and Paris. I’m trying this new thing where I stop being selfish, so I am giving up the earrings more or less. That is to say, I am sure Master Fu will retrieve them before I’m six feet under. I’m sorry I couldn’t be stronger, Chat. And I know you’ll probably hate me for this but it hurts so much. I just want it to stop hurting. I just… I had to say goodbye,” she finished, not bothering to wipe the tears that streamed down her face.

“Tikki, spots off,” she whispered, feeling the rush of power run down her body. The bitter cold hit her immediately, the suit no longer protecting her against the elements. She was only wearing a thin tank top and sleep shorts, the cold metal seeming to burn her thighs where her skin touched the platform. She shivered and gripped the beam beside her, struggling to stand on legs that suddenly felt far too weak to hold her. Tikki flitted in front of her face looking confused.

“Marinette, it’s freezing! You’ll catch a cold,” she scolded as the teenager finished climbing to her feet.

“Tikki,” she said softly, but the Kwami wasn’t listening.

“You need to transform back, Marinette. You’ve been reckless before but this takes the cake!” She hadn’t scolded her wielder in quite awhile, it was almost enough to bring a smile to Marinette’s face.

“Tikki, I’m not transforming back,” Marinette said, her tone finally breaking through the Kwami’s annoyance. Her voice sounded so broken and empty. Tikki finally looked at the girl, really looked at her, and almost seemed to pale if that were physically possible. Marinette wasn’t sure what she saw, but it was bad enough that Tikki finally seemed to realize what was going on.

“No. No, Marinette you can’t! You can’t give up,” she pleaded, zipping up to hover between Marinette and a very long, long drop.

“No, Tikki, you’re wrong. I can’t go on like this. I’m sorry, I know it is selfish and that you will probably hate me but I can’t continue like this. It hurts so much. My friends, my teachers, even my parents, they all hate me and I just-” she broke off with a sob, teetering on the edge as she clung to the beam beside her and cried her heart out for the first time in months. All the pain, the anguish that she had bottled up for months came rushing back and it was too much for her to handle. She couldn’t do it anymore. She wanted the hurt to disappear, she wanted to disappear.

“Marinette, you have so much to offer the world! You’re bright and strong and resilient. You’re one of the best Ladybugs I know and you will pull through this but you have to stay strong. Please, you can’t do this,” the Kwami begged, tears welling up in her blue eyes. Marinette smiled softly and cupped the tiny Deity in her hands, pressing a kiss to the large spot atop her head.

“I love you so much, Tikki. Thank you, for being my friend and never leaving me,” she breathed softly, and for a moment she thought she had gotten through to the girl. For a brief moment, she thought that Marinette would step back and call on her transformation, that this would end up just being a bad memory. Instead, Marinette stepped forward and fell, leaving Tikki hovering near the top of the Eiffel Tower to watch her chosen’s demise in horror.

“Marinette!” The Kwami shrieked, shooting after the girl as fast as she possibly could. Marinette didn’t even react, didn’t open her eyes as she plummeted towards her inevitable death. Tikki had never felt so helpless as she did in that moment. She couldn’t transform unless Marinette said the words, but she was a Goddess! There had to be some way that she could stop this. They were getting closer and closer to the ground. Tikki pushed herself faster, she could feel the pull of the Miraculous as if it, too, knew that soon the life force powering it would be snuffed out and Tikki would be locked in limbo until Master Fu retrieved her. No, she couldn’t let it end like this. Marinette was so good and so kind and Tikki had to save her. If she had any real purpose in this world, it had to be for this moment right now. She could feel herself beginning to be sucked back towards her earrings now and she didn’t fight it. Instead, she let herself be sucked in. She couldn’t transform Marinette, but perhaps her own life force would be enough to protect the girl, cushion the blow so to speak so that she might survive.

Tikki had never had to call upon her own essence in this way, she knew it was dangerous and could risk damaging the Miraculous in the way the Peacock Miraculous was damaged. She didn’t care though. She took every fiber of her being, every ounce of love she had ever felt for Marinette, for Plagg, for all the Ladybugs and the Chat Noirs who had come before the current set and released it, felt all of her flood through all of Marinette. She tied her life to Marinette’s so completely and irrevocably, she doubted even Plagg would be able to tell where one ended and the other began. The burst off power was too much for either one of them, and they were out before they ever hit the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 02/18/2021 - Post Rewrite. Feel Free To Inform of any remaining discrepancies if they present themselves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the warnings suggest, there are graphic depictions of 'violence' in this. In this case, some of the descriptions of her injuries might get to be a bit more detailed than some might be comfortable with so please be aware when reading the next couple of chapters. This one had some indication of her injuries, but I will likely go over those injuries in greater detail within the next chapter or two and it will be... bloody.

**One Year Ago**

Marinette Dupain-Cheng awoke with a smile on her face and a feeling of hope blooming in her chest. It was Monday, and despite the stress she had been under lately, she was determined that she would have a good day today. No, she would have a great day today! Perhaps she was still riding the buzz from the most delightful weekend she had experienced in quite a while, but she didn’t mind. She rarely got to spend time with her best friend one on one anymore. Ever since Lila Rossi had returned to their class a year ago, distance had grown between the two girls as their opinions of their new classmate were quite opposite. On one side, Alya stood firmly, determined that she would make Marinette see how awesome the brunette Italian really was. On the other, Marinette refused to be drawn in by Lila, her lies, or her false promises. It had put a strain on their friendship, made worse by Marinette’s refusal to participate in any group outing that involved the silver-tongued fox, so it had been a nice surprise when Alya had asked if she could spend the weekend together just like old times.

Of course, Marinette wasn’t naive enough to believe that Alya was suddenly starting to come around about Lila and would soon realize just what a liar she was. But perhaps, she thought hopefully as she dressed that day, their friendship wasn’t as damaged as she had originally feared. While it stung that her friends refused to believe her over Lila, she still loved and cared for each and every one of them and she still wanted to maintain their friendships. Besides, this was the final year that Marinette would be attending the same school as Liar Rossi. She was currently in her first year at Lycee Francoise Dupont, which was a few blocks down the road from College Francoise Dupont. She had stayed at the local Lycee, hoping that perhaps she could rekindle some of the friendships had become strained with the return of Lila, but ultimately decided that she was better off just going to a different school. In particular Lycee Voltaire, where Juleka’s brother currently attended. She technically could still change her mind, even though her parents had already informed the school district of her intent to transfer at the end of the year. There were even rumors that Lila would be returning to Italy for good at the end of the year. But Marinette had long learned not to put much weight into rumors and if the rumors were false and she  _ didn’t _ transfer, chances were Marinette wouldn’t have to see the Italian’s face because Lycee Voltaire was a very art focused school. Marinette intended on going there because of their Fashion Design program, and was close to convincing Alya and Nino to join her because they also offered Investigative Journalism and Music Production. If all went well things would, hopefully, go back to normal and her classmates could stop treating her like a pariah for refusing to befriend the other girl.

Since it was still winter, Marinette pulled on a pink cashmere sweater and some thick black leggings, complete with some faux fur lined boots, gloves and earmuffs. The outfit was one she had finished making a few weeks ago but hadn’t had a special occasion to wear. She had been saving it for Winter Break next week; it would have made the perfect outfit to wear on one of her shopping trips with Alya and the girls, but she was in such a good mood that she felt like wearing something she felt extra pretty in. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she was also supposed to be hanging out with a certain blue-eyed rockstar after school. Ever since the day Adrien had told her to take the high road in regards to Lila, Marinette’s feelings for the blond had dampened considerably and she was working on fully eradicating her crush. It helped that the further she pushed Adrien out, the deeper Luka wormed his way in and she often spent her afternoons on the Liberty with him. His music always made her feel more relaxed and she often drew inspiration from the music and it’s creator when working on her sketches these days.

“Ready, Tikki?” She called, and the Kwami immediately flitted into view with a bright smile on her face.

“You seem to be in a good mood, Marinette,” she chirped, lowering herself into her Chosen’s new clasp purse. It was almost identical to the previous one in design, but it had sherpa lining that made it soft and warm for the Kwami. Tikki had explained that, being a ladybug, she didn’t function very well in the cold so Marinette did everything in her power to ensure the Kwami’s comfort when they left the house.

“I am, Tikki. This is going to be a good week, and then it’s Winter Break and we’ll have two whole weeks without Lie-la,” she said with a roll of her eyes. Tikki giggled at her emphasis on the liar’s name.

“Plus you’ll get to spend all that time with Luka! Are you going to finally tell him how you feel?” The tiny Deity asked with a sly smile. Her question had the desired effect as Marinette flailed and reddened and started stammering until her mother called her down with a reminder that she would be late if she didn’t get going. With her purse closed and her backpack slung over one shoulder, Marinette left her room with a skip in her step and headed down into the bakery. This close to the holidays, the bakery was teeming with customers and her parents were hard at work alongside two of their part-timers that they had hired for the holiday season. In the past, Marinette would have been one of those part-timers, but while she helped from time to time her parents had felt she deserved to enjoy the holidays with her friends. Even with the line of customers waiting, though, they took the time to kiss her cheek and wave her off, her dad shoving a box of Christmas themed Macarons in her hands for her classmates.

The walk to school was brief. Marinette would miss being right down the street from school, as Lycee Voltaire was all the way across the city. Then again, it was also the Lycee that Luka attended so it definitely had some perks other than the fact that it could really set her up for becoming a world class designer. Still, she would really have to work harder at waking up on time because she would need to take the subway to school once she started at her new school. Bounding up the front steps, Marinette pulled the heavy door open and stepped into Lycee Francoise Dupont. The school was basically a mirror image of her old College, with minor differences to the color scheme. The commons area was practically vacant, but given how close it was to the bell ringing she didn’t give this much thought as she climbed the steps to the second floor and headed to class. Entering the class, Marinette didn’t immediately recognize that something was off because she was more focused on not tripping. It would be just her luck that she tripped just as she arrived and ruined the box of Macarons she had successfully managed to carry to school without mishap.

It was the sob that made her look up in the first place, drawing her eyes to the second row table on the right-hand side of the room where Lila Rossi was sitting in her seat. Alya was next to her, one arm around the sobbing girl while their classmates gathered around to offer their own words of comfort. Glancing around, Marinette noted that Adrien wasn’t there yet, and that neither were the teacher, Madame Lucille. Not, of course, that Adrien had proved to be a great or even halfway decent buffer in the past but still. Madame Lucille was only slightly better than Madame Bustier from College had been. But at least they were something. Deciding to approach with caution, she edged closer until she stood in front of Adrien’s seat, setting the box of Macarons down with a quiet thump that was finally enough to alert the class to her presence. She immediately balked and took a step back as hostility seemed to pour off her classmates, all of it directed towards her. Smiling tentatively and trying to gauge just how bad the situation was, Marinette pushed the box forward slightly.

“H-hey, guys. I brought Macarons,” she said brightly, her smile diminishing as Alya shot her a truly furious glare, so vastly different from the easy grins they had shared over the weekend, and tightened her arms around the Italian. When she finally spoke, cold dread travelled down Marinette’s spine and pooled in her stomach.

“Girl. Did you seriously threaten Lila in the bathroom if she didn’t stay away from Adrien?” 

  
  
  
  
  


**Present Day**

Marinette awoke with a start, eyes flying open as she dragged a gustful of air into her lungs. She was… alive? She shouldn’t be alive, she had just jumped from the top of the Eiffel Tower. In fact, she was still laying beneath the tower but that made no sense. Even if she had survived the impact, where was the pain? The agony? Surely a fall like that would have shattered every bone in her body and right now, she wasn’t even feeling the cold. If anything, she was a little dizzy and she felt a headache coming on but she otherwise felt weirdly intact. Maybe she was going into shock? She had never been in shock before, so it was a definite possibility. Deciding to start with something simple. Marinette decided to try and take stock of herself and see what she could move and what she couldn’t. She started with her fingers and toes, wiggling them experimentally. Next she moved her legs and bent her knees. She lifted her hands, holding them above her face and frowning when she noticed a surprising lack of injuries or blood. Huh.

Finally, the girl pushed herself up and looked down at herself. Her hands patted over her body but she didn’t even seem to be bruised from her fall which was just… weird? Bizzare? Physically impossible. Only a lingering sense of dizziness and that headache hovering at the back of her skull. Lifting one hand, she rubbed her temple in soothing circles and finally lifted her gaze to survey her surroundings. She wasn’t quite expecting the level of activity going on around her, but she found that the area below the Eiffel Tower was crawling with police officers and paramedics. That made more sense, except none of them were near her. They were crouched several feet away looking at something on the ground but she couldn’t see what it was because of all the people blocking her view. Clearing her throat which suddenly felt dry and itchy, she spoke while staggering to her feet.

“H-hey, can anyone explain how I’m still here?” She asked, massaging her skull more firmly as the dizziness and the headache suddenly intensified and her vision swam briefly before steadying once more. Nobody responded or gave any indication that they heard her which, first of all, rude. She had just jumped from the Eiffel Tower, you would think they would be more focused on the fact that she was miraculously alive and unscathed. Second, what was so fascinating that everyone here, including the crowd of people standing behind what looked like a police barricade? Determined to find out, Marinette stalked towards the crowd as people began to rise and back off, giving several paramedics enough room to lift the stretcher that was laid out on the ground between them. As the stretcher came into view, Marinette suddenly froze.

Oh.  _ Oh _ . That… that was her on the stretcher. Or at least, she assumed it was. That was her hair, her pigtails though they were messy and half undone. That was definitely her ratty tank top and shorts. Only… the shirt wasn’t white and the pants were no longer pink. They were very, very red. So much red. It was everywhere, flowing from several lacerations of various degrees of seriousness and oh. Okay, she was going to be sick if that white thing protruding from one of her legs was what she thought it was. Nope, she was gonna be sick anyway if the sudden twisting sensation in her stomach was any indication. Could ghosts be sick? Was she even a ghost, for that matter? She couldn’t actually tell if she was alive on that stretcher; she certainly looked pale as death beneath all the red. But if she were dead, they would have put her in a body bag, right? They wouldn’t… no, she couldn’t be dead then. Of course, that didn’t explain why she was here, and not in her body where she was supposed to be. She had heard of out of body experiences but this took the cake. 

_ Marinette, you need to get in the ambulance, _ a voice that sounded suspiciously like a certain red and black Kwami said in her mind.

“Tikki? Is that you?” She asked nervously, turning around and searching for the tiny Deity. “Where are you?”

_ That doesn’t matter, Marinette. You need to know where they’re taking your body. You need to stay close to the Miraculous, _ Tikki, because she was now certain it was the Kwami, said urgently. Marinette still had questions but she trusted her Kwami and if she wanted her to stay near the Miraculous, she figured that she should probably listen. They were loading her into the Ambulance now, and she quickly scrambled into the vehicle and took an empty seat right before the doors closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let Me Know What You Think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Luka... sort of
> 
> 02/18/2021 - Post Rewrite. Feel Free To Inform of any remaining discrepancies if they present themselves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It gets a bit more graphic yoll, fair warning

**Present Day**

The ambulance came to a sudden and screeching halt and Marinette watched with a strange sort of fascination as the two paramedics, a man and woman, immediately leaped into action. During the ride over, the had gotten her hooked up to some sort of oxygen mask think that was apparently helping her breath, as well as an IV that was pumping her full of fluids and, she assumed, some sort of numbing medication because while she was no longer inside her body she had started to feel weirdly cold the moment they’d attached the IV to… physical Marinette. The pair had been speaking as they worked, but most of it had been medical terms she didn’t entirely understand. She had understood the word  _ Coma _ , however, which explained why she had yet to open her eyes and why she hadn’t reacted when they had shined a pen light into her eyes. The lady Paramedic threw the doors open and hopped out, quickly joined by two more men in scrubs who helped maneuver the stretcher from the vehicle and get the wheels popped out so that they could bring her into the building. While they were busy fussing over her and checking the equipment they had attached to her, ghost Marinette hopped from the ambulance and stood awkwardly off to the side.

She supposed, realistically, she should be feeling something other than this cold numbness as she watched these strangers work over her. She had just tried to kill herself, she should be feeling some sort of emotion, right? Guilt, over what she had tried to do, or fear over the unknown going forward, or even anger that she had somehow managed to fail at taking her own life. She had jumped off the Eiffel Tower and she was still so useless that her body was clinging to life by a thread. She truly was pathetic, and yet even that thought didn’t bring the familiar feelings of hopelessness. She felt detached from it all. They were wheeling her away now, the ambulance pulling away from the drop off location and Marinette craned her neck up to the sign that sat above the large automatic doors she was being pushed through.  _ Paris Regional Medical Center _ . It was where most trauma cases were taken.

Marinette quickened her pace, following the team as they rushed her through the hospital and struggling to keep up with the conversation that the men and woman surrounding her gurney were saying. From what she could gather, they were talking about her injuries and it sounded… bleak.  _ Collapsed Lung. Punctured Spleen. Internal Bleeding. Shattered Rib Cage. Possible break in the spine. Fractured Collar Bone. Multiple Lacerations. Arms and Legs broken. Possible skull fracture. _ At this point, she would be surprised if there was a bone in her body she hadn’t broken. She followed them into a room that was clearly set up for surgery, balking at the sight of the gleaming tools set up nearby. Tools that would allow them to probe and inspect her from the inside out. If ghosts weren’t able to be sick, well Marinette was certain that she was going to be the first to break that rule.

“Have we got an ID on her, yet?” One of the men-the surgeon, perhaps?-asked as he picked up a pair of scissors and began to cut away her clothing. If Marinette had been capable of feelings right now, she might have felt embarrassed. As it were, she could only watch with that same sort of detached fascination as he peeled the bloody garments away and tossed them in a nearby trash bin.

“We found a school ID in her wallet. A Ms. Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” one of the other members of the surgical team, a woman, said as she began to wipe away some of the excess blood with a sponge.

“Make sure someone contacts the parents. I’m not waiting for permission to begin the surgery but they will need to be made aware of the situation,” he said, his gloved fingers probing lightly along physical Marinette’s rib cage. Ghost Marinette winced as she saw just how squishy her midsection was without her ribs there to hold everything in place. It was grotesque.

“Of course, Doctor Pierre, we have someone attempting to contact them as we speak,” the woman confirmed, continuing with the sponge bath. Most of the lacerations had apparently stopped or at least slowed their bleeding. Marinette grimaced at the thought of the hospital disturbing her parents with the news. Not only would they be awoken in the middle of the night, they would likely have to close the bakery briefly or let their part-timers move into full-time positions temporarily. Either way, she would be costing them money. Even on the cusp of death, she was still making their lives difficult and the first niggling of guilt fluttered in her heart.

_ Your parents love you, Marinette. They made a mistake in believing your classmates over you, but they do love you and they aren’t going to be worried about the bakery when you’re here, in the hospital, _ Tikki said, speaking for the first time since telling Marinette she needed to stay with her body.

“Why can’t I see you, Tikki? And why am I still here? I should be dead!” Marinette asked, leaning back against the wall closest to the door and staring pensively as they prepared her for surgery. The manual ventilator had been switched out for a mechanical one that was now breathing for her, if the steady rise and fall of her chest was anything to go by.

_ I saved you, _ the voice responded softly.

“How?”

_ I tied your life to mine, Marinette, to the Miraculous. I couldn’t let you die. _

“What does that mean, you tied your life to mine?” This time Tikki hesiated and a new emotion flickered in Marinette. “Tikki? Tikki what does that mean!?”

_ It doesn’t matter, Marinette. What matters is that you are alive, and you must fight. I can only do so much, but you must decide to come back. I can’t do that part. _

“And if I don’t want to come back? If I don’t fight?”

_ Then you die. _

  
  
  


**One Year Ago**

“I’m sorry, I did what?” Marinette blinked up at her class with a mixture of fear and apprehension before her gaze moved to Lila. The girl in question had her hands covering her face, shoulders shaking as she ‘sobbed’ but Marinette was sure she saw one corner of her mouth curved into a sinister smirk.

“You cornered Lila!” Alix jumped in, scowling accusingly at the ravenette.

“And you told her to stay away from Adrien. That ain’t cool, dudette,” Nino shook his head from his usual seat, looking more disappointed than outright angry

“How could you be so mean? Lila just wants to be your friend,” Rose added, tears swimming in her blue eyes as she clung to a frowning Juleka.

“This jealousy has gotten way out of hand, girl, even for you,” Alya added.

“But I didn’t do it!” Marinette protested, looking desperately between her classmates while trying not to shrink in on herself. “Lila is the one who cornered me in the bathroom, and it had nothing to do with Adrien. It was because I know she’s lying and she doesn’t like being called out!” 

“Not this again,” Mylene rolled her eyes while Ivan frowned heavily down at her.

“The only one who appears to be lying is you, Marinette. Lila has no reason to lie,” Kim offered from where he was reclining in his desk chair, feet propped atop the desk.

“Yeah you’ve been out to get her from day one,” Alya said.

“B-but I…” Before she could finish, Lila butted in with a few well timed sniffles and pouty looks.

“I-its okay, everyone! I… I know it is only because of how much she loves Adrien, I just wish she hadn’t had to  _ threaten  _ me about it!” She ended with a wail, only causing the glares to intensify.

“But I… I…” Marinette watched helplessly as Alya reached forward and shoved the box of Macarons towards her, but Marinette was too slow to react and instead of them sliding into her hands they flew off the edge of the table. The box hit the ground, it’s now broken contents spilling across the floor.

“We don’t want your cookies. Maybe you should go back to sitting in the back until you stop being such a bitch,” Alya snapped scathingly. Marinette flinched and quickly ducked to gather up the broken cookies when a hand reached past her and started to assist her. Turning, she found Adrien giving her a strained smile.

“Are you okay, Marinette?” He asked softly. She opened her mouth, intending on replying, when Lila broke into a fresh round of sobs and prompted them both to look up. Alya frowned sympathetically at the Italian before glaring at the pair.

“Adrien you shouldn’t associate with bullies,” she stated. Adrien looked like he wanted to reply, but Marinette had finished gathering the cookies by then and quickly rose, giving the boy a too bright smile.

“I’m fine! Thank you, Adrien,” she said before turning and hurrying to the back of the room. She could feel his stare drilling into her back but he didn’t say anything and he didn’t turn around.

  
  
  


The rest of the day wasn’t much better. The class was treating her like a pariah, their glares only intensifying every time that Lila turned on the waterworks. Which was, unfortunately, a common occurrence. Anytime Marinette was within five feet of Lila or Adrien, the sobbing would start anew and her classmates would glare at her like she was the most despicable thing on earth. By lunch, it was starting to wear heavily on her and she couldn’t get out of class fast enough when the bell finally rang. Normally, Marinette would take her lunch in the cafeteria with her friends but today she made a beeline for the bakery, fighting tears as she did so. She took the back entrance, not wanting her parents to ask questions she wasn’t prepared to answer, and made herself a sandwich before retiring to her bedroom.

Tikki flew out of her purse the moment that she was sure they were alone, the tiny Deity almost buzzing in her anger at the injustice of it all. “Oh! I hate her so much! I wish… I wish I could just turn her into the toad she is!” The Kwami cried in righteous fury. If she weren’t so depressed, Marinette might have found the Kwami’s anger amusing. As it was, she wasn’t quite sure anything could lift her mood. That is, until her phone buzzed and a familiar name popped onto the screen.

**Luka:** Are you still coming over after school?

Marinette smiled fondly down at her phone, heart fluttering the way it usually did when faced with thoughts of the blue-haired guitarist. The feeling had once felt so strange, especially when she had still been head over heels for Adrien. Now it felt natural to get butterflies whenever the older teen was concerned.

**Marinette:** Do you think you can come over here instead? I don’t want to run into… anyone else.

**Luka:** Of course, I’ll head over after school. Is everything okay?

**Marinette:** I don’t want to talk about it.

**Luka:** That’s okay, talking is overrated anyways!

His message was followed up by a recording of him playing a melody that had become pretty familiar as of late, and she smiled as she recognized her song. It was being played in softer, sadder tones than it’s usually peppy beat but she would know her song anywhere. Even from halfway across the city, Luka could tell exactly what she was feeling and portrayed it perfectly in a series of musical notes.

**Marinette:** Thanks, Luka. IDK what I would ever do without you.

**Luka:** Die, probably XD

**Marinette:** Harharhar *rolls eyes* See you later, dork

**Luka:** Lol, I’ll see you later Ma-Ma-Marinette :)

**Marinette:** Bye, Luka (o///o)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A distant memory and Marinette's parents finally arrive.
> 
> 02/18/2021 - Post Rewrite. Feel Free To Inform of any remaining discrepancies if they present themselves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IK you guys are eager for the class and Luka and I promise they are coming haha

**Ten Years Ago**

Bastille Day was officially Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s fourth favorite holiday. The day was hot, but not uncomfortably so, as the six-year-old skirted around a group of adults and entered the park that sat directly across from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. She had watched from their apartment windows as the decorations, the rides, and the booths had all been set up by a crew of men and women in matching uniforms, but it was different now that she was seeing all that hard work up close. There were banners and streamers and twinkling lights that sparkled even in the afternoon sunlight everywhere. A man was standing near the park entrance, handing out miniature versions of the French Flag while more were attached to the lampposts that were evenly spaced along the pathway that cut through the center of the park.

Children shrieked and giggled as they chased one another through the park, weaving through game booths and food trucks and hastily erected rides. The little girl bounced excitedly, raven pigtails bobbing with the movement, and glanced over her shoulder impatiently. Her parents were a few feet behind her, following but at a much slower pace than she would have liked. The urge to join the other children as they ran and shrieked and played was nearly unbearable, but her parents had insisted she stay close to them.

“Maman, Papa,  _ hurry up _ ,” she whined, stomping one foot against the ground and crossing her arms as she frowned petulantly at them. 

“Be patient, little Princess,” her father said with a hint of a smile on his lips, finally pulling level with the girl and dropping one hand on her head. Marinette ducked out from under his hand and wrinkled her nose, sticking her tongue out as she fixed her mussed hair.

“But Papa, you said we could go on the Carousel, and play games, and go see the parade, and we won’t be able to do any of that if you’re going to be slow,” she whined with a roll of her eyes. A finger tapped lightly against her nose causing her to cross her eyes briefly as she tried to follow the movement. 

“Don’t roll your eyes, Marinette, it isn’t polite,” Sabine Cheng scolded lightly. “It is early, I promise we will have time to do everything you want to do.”

“But Maman-”

“No buts; patience is a virtue, Marinette. It will serve you well if you simply learn to embrace it,” she said with a soft smile. The child grumbled but nodded, reluctantly slowing her pace to match her parents as they headed deeper into the park. It didn’t take her long to perk back up, the excitement of the day quickly melting away her earlier annoyance as they headed to the game booths first. By the end of their first game, she was back to giggling as her father made a show of challenging her to the various games and betting her ‘prizes’ for the winner. Her mother didn’t participate but she watched and occasionally cheered on one or the other during their games. They eventually stopped playing long enough to eat lunch, Marinette reluctantly agreeing that perhaps Funnel Cake was better suited for dessert and not lunch. After lunch, they headed back towards the entrance of the park where the carousel was located.

The carousel had always been Marinette’s favorite part of visiting the park. She loved the intricate details on the horses, the tigers and lions, the unicorns, dragons, and zebras. She could hardly ever pick a favorite animal and often switched it up each time she came to the park. Today, she chose to start with a Unicorn. In honor of the holiday, the ride was free instead of costing a few euros per ride, so Marinette also rose on one of the lions and a zebra and the dragon. She was having a lot of fun, and she liked that her parents waved to her each time she went by. They were sitting on a nearby bench, talking while keeping one eye on the ride so that they could wave when she passed. The ride slowed to yet another stop, some people getting on and off, others simply switching to a different animal to ride. Marinette climbed off the dragon and was about to find a new animal to ride when she caught sight of a very familiar ice cream cart not too far away. She had always loved Andre’s ice cream, and it sounded really good right now in the heat of the day! Instead of finding a new animal to ride, Marinette scrambled off the ride and took off towards the ice cream cart.

  
  


Sabine Cheng looked up as the ride came to a halt once again, eyes scanning over the occupants briefly. She didn’t immediately spot her daughter but then, it wasn’t the first time the ride had stopped with the girl on the other side, out of sight of her parents. So she didn’t really think much of it as she looked back to her husband to continue discussing their daughter’s upcoming birthday. She would be turning seven at the end of the month and they had wanted to make this birthday summer. Marinette was getting older and had made several close friends in her class and they were considering renting out a venue instead of doing the party in their apartment as they usually did. They were trying to figure out what kind of venue, and with Marinette out of ear shot it was the perfect opportunity to discuss details.

She glanced up distractedly as the music started up once more and the ride began to turn again, keeping one eye on the ride as she suggested another of her venue suggestions. There was a trampoline house not too far away that she felt Marinette would enjoy, and which also had other games like dodgeball and laser tag and they had party rooms they could rent out. It didn’t occur to her until the fourth or fifth cycle of the carousel that she hadn’t seen the familiar black pigtails or the bright yellow and pink sundress that her daughter had been wearing that afternoon. Focusing on the ride now, Sabine’s gray eyes danced over the occupants of the ride as they whirred past, expecting to spot her daughter’s familiar silhouette any moment. But the ride made another pass, and then another and another and she was certain she had looked at every single child on the ride and even more certain that Marinette wasn’t among them.

“Tom. Tom, do you see Marinette?” She asked, struggling to contain the sudden panic that she was feeling as she rose to her feet. She sensed rather than saw her husband frown in confusion, but he also got up and focused on the ride as it twirled before him.

“I… I don’t see her,” he said, and she could hear her own worry reflected in his tone. Sabine tried to tamp down the sudden fear and sickness filling her gut as she grabbed her husband’s hand and practically dragged him up to the ride’s operator, not an easy feat when the man was three times her size but he also hadn’t put up a fight. 

“Excuse me, my daughter was just on this ride and I don’t see her. Do you think you could stop it?” She called out to the young man and he nodded to signal that he heard her. He hit a button, the ride slowing to a halt and Sabine didn’t even bother to wait for it to completely stop before she was hopping onto the platform and calling for her daughter. “Marinette? Marinette, where are you!?”

Tom circled the ride from the ground while Sabine weaved through the adults and children on board until they met on the other side, their fear evident in their stiff postures and their wide eyes. Hopping down, the Chinese woman grabbed her husband’s wrist and looked back at the ride before saying, “Tom, call the police. I’m going to-”

“Mama, Papa!” The voice of their daughter spoke behind them. Tom and Sabine spun, taking in their grinning daughter and the sheepish Andre who was standing beside her. “Mr. Andre gave me ice cream!”

“Seems Mlle Marinette forgot to tell you where she was going when she left the Carousel,” the ice cream man chuckled nervously, gesturing to where the girl was happily munching on a blueberry and peach ice cream cone, blissfully unaware of the turmoil she had just put her parents through. Andre wisely chose to make himself scarce as Sabine glared down at her daughter.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, what on earth were you thinking!?” She snapped, finally seeming to break through the child’s obliviousness. Marinette lifted wide blue eyes, suddenly looking guilty.

“I’m sorry, Mama, I just-”

“There is no excuse, Marinette. You could have been hurt,” Sabine growled, only biting back her next words when her husband resting placating hands on her shoulders. Marinette sniffled, eyes swimming with tears as she blinked up at them.

“What your mother is trying to say, Marinette, is that you can’t go wandering off. What if something happened to take you away from us?” Tom said, crouching down so he was eye level with the little girl. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it! I don’t want to be away from you!” Marinette wailed, dropping her ice cream and throwing her arms around her father’s neck. Tom smiled fondly and patted her back comfortingly, while beside him Sabine smoothed her hair back reassuringly.

“You don’t have to worry, Marinette. As long as you stick with us, we will always protect you,” she promised.

“Always? You promise?” She sniffled, peeking at her mother from where her face was buried in Tom’s neck. The man tightened his hold around his daughter and dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

“I promise, Marinette. Your Maman and I will always do whatever it takes to protect you. We love you.”

“I love you, too.” She sniffled, clinging tighter to him for a few more moments. Her eventual cry of “ _ Oh no, my ice cream!” _ would send them all into a fit of giggles before they made their way over to replace it, but scares and lost ice cream aside, it was a good day.

  
  
  
  


**Present Day**

_ “...will always protect you… I promise, Marinette… We love you…” _ Marinette opened her eyes trying to chase the memory away but the words still seemed to echo in her ears and left a bad taste in her mouth. Where had their love and protection been when she had begged them to believe her over Lila, over her teachers and her principal and her so-called friends? Where had their love and protection been when they had refused to transfer her early, even after she had come home battered and bruised after she had been tripped, slapped, punched, or kicked? Where had it been when she had been shoved down the stairs? What was it they had called it? A cry for attention? Ha, if anything she had been begging to return to her previous anonymity. It had been so easy before Alya Cesaire had entered her life, back when the only bully she had to deal with was Chloe Bourgeois, and when the class had left her be for fear of incurring the blonde’s wrath. Before Marinette had grown a backbone and found her voice and decided she would never bow before the tyranny of a class bully ever again.

The door opened to her left and Marinette slipped out of the room and away from her body. After the first hour in, she had gotten pretty tired of watching them dissect her like some sort of lab rat. She had found out fairly quickly that she could neither walk through walls, nor could she manipulate the living world no matter how hard she tried. This was the first time in who knows how long she had been on that table that the door had opened and she was going to take advantage of it. The hallway beyond was eerily silent once the door closed behind her and effectively shut off the muted chatter of her surgical team. Still, Marinette felt she could suddenly breathe a lot easier now that she was no longer staring at her inner organs. Looking up and down the hall, she picked a direction at random and began to walk.

_ Marinette, you shouldn’t stray too far from your body. This is so new, what if you leaving somehow makes things worse,  _ Tikki admonished. She had been quiet the last few hours and Marinette wondered if it took great effort to speak like this.

“I can’t imagine things will get much worse, Tikki. Besides, I am not even sure I want to wake up. What have I got to live for? Nothing has changed, Tiks. I’m friendless, my parents and teachers still hate me, and knowing Lila she will probably spin this in a way that makes her seem like the victim and me like some sort of attention whore,” Marinette scoffed derisively. “God, I can’t even kill myself right. This is your fault, you know?”

_ I won’t apologize for saving you life,  _ Tikki retorted.

“I didn’t expect you too, though it seems like a waste of time. I’m going to die, if not on that table then in some random bed in a random room here,” she shrugged carelessly.

_ Marinette, life is not so bleak as you seem to think. You are only sixteen, and in a couple years you will be out of school and you can go to University and this will all seem like some bad dream,  _ the Kwami pleaded.

“I have no future, Tikki. Lila made sure of that. My credibility as a designer is gone, even Audrey Bourgeois will think again before reoffering me that internship in New York,” she sighed, reaching up to tug at one of her pigtails roughly before lifting her gaze to take in her surroundings. Her wanderings had brought her to one of the waiting rooms and her gaze flitted tiredly over the room’s occupants. She wasn’t sure why it surprised her that her parents weren’t here, but she was a bit surprised against her best efforts. Why would they put their life and job on hold for a burden?

_ Don’t think like that, Marinette, maybe they’re just asleep and they missed the calls!  _

“With all due respect, Tikki, and I mean this in the nicest way possible. Get out of my fucking head,” the girl growled in annoyance.

_ I can’t, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to read your thoughts but we are kind of fused right now, mind and body,  _ Tikki apologized, though there was a hint of amusement in her voice now.  _ Can we please get back to your body, though? I don’t want to take any chances. _

“Fine, fine, we can-'' 

Before she could finish her words, the doors on the opposite side of the waiting room burst open making Marinette nearly jump out of her skin. Even as a spirit ghost thing she was still jumpy as hell. Fantastic. She looked up, along with several other people who were waiting to hear about their loved ones and was surprised to find her parents hurrying towards the nurse’s station. They looked… terrible. They didn’t appear to have taken the time to get ready before leaving the house because they were still wearing their pajamas and slippers and their hair was mussed from sleep. They both had bags under their eyes and their eyes were rimmed in red as they came to a halt before the startled nurse who was manning the nurse’s station.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, where is she? Is she okay?” Her mother took the lead, as she usually did in her take charge way, staring almost desperately at the nurse whose gaze was bouncing between the pair uncertainly. Marinette couldn’t help but step closer, reaching hesitantly out to let her fingers hover over her father’s arm. She didn’t touch him, though she knew he wouldn’t feel her if she did.

“Maman, Papa, you came,” she whispered, shoulders sagging and unshed tears burning at the back of her eyes.

“May I have your names and relationship to the patient?” The nurse had apparently recovered enough to ask.

“Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain, we’re her parents,” Sabine said, fingers drumming agitatedly against the countertop between them.

“Thank you, Madame Cheng, Monsieur Dupain,” she responded, typing on her computer briefly before adding, “it appears that your daughter is still in surgery but outside of that, we have no current indication on her condition other than that her injuries are… severe,” she said apologetically.

“How severe? When will she be out of surgery?” Tom asked, frowning and though he wasn’t trying to be intimidating the nurse shrank slightly.

“I don’t know, I’m sorry. Until we get word from her surgical team, we are as in the dark as you are but I promise that we will let you know the second anything changes,” she said, gaze darting between the pair. Sabine thanked her before guiding her husband over to a nearby pair of chairs where they sank down and clasped hands. Marinette followed, coming to a halt before them and chewing her lip. They looked so sad, and her gut twisted with the very first inklings of guilt. She didn’t want to feel guilty, but she also couldn’t stop the feelings or the sudden bile rising in her throat as her father began to weep openly and her mother discreetly dabbed at her eyes. She had done this to them. They were crying over her and she didn’t understand because she thought they hadn’t wanted her anymore. Surely they should be overjoyed?

_ Your parents love you, Marinette, _ Tikki said softly, but the girl was barely paying attention as she watched her parents sling to herself.

“This is all my fault,” Sabine suddenly whispered. Marinette hadn’t thought she could get more surprised but now she was staring at her mother in shock. “If I had just talked to Marinette, if I had listened to her…”

“It’s both of our faults,” Tom said, shaking his head. “We drove her to this.”

“Maman. Papa, no,” Marinette whispered, reaching out and tracing her fingers lightly over their clasped hands. They didn’t react to the touch, but she hadn’t expected them to so she wasn’t surprised.

“We’re terrible parents. God, what are we going to do if she dies? I-I can’t-”

“Don’t think that way, Sabine. Our daughter is a fighter. She has been a fighter since the day she was born. You remember how tiny she was, how underdeveloped. The Doctors gave her a two percent chance of survival,” Tom said with a distant smile. “She beat their odds then, she will beat them now, no matter how low they are.”

Sabine didn’t respond but she leaned into her husband and closed her eyes, a few tears leaking out as she did so. Marinette sighed and moved to sit in the empty chair next to her father, suddenly less than willing to return to her body now. She wasn’t expecting to make it off that table alive, she might as well spend her last moments with her parents even if they didn’t know she was there.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka makes an official appearance (in a memory at least) and I stan for these two precious beans
> 
> 02/18/2021 - Post Rewrite. Feel Free To Inform of any remaining discrepancies if they present themselves

**Present Day**

It took nearly fourteen hours, but somehow Marinette survived her time on the operation table. She still wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about that, she really had expected that table to be the place where she would stop living. Now, she was hovering over her prone body as a nurse tutted around her new room, making sure she was comfortable and that all of the medical paraphernalia attached to her was in working order. Reaching out, ghost Marinette lightly trailed her fingers over physical Marinette’s cheek, paying particular attention to a large cut on one cheek that had been bad enough to require stitches. It wasn’t the only place she was stitched up, either. She looked like Frankenstein.

_ Frankenstein was technically the doctor, not the monster, _ Tikki oh-so-helpfully supplied, sounding more chipper than Marinette had heard her in the last twenty-four hours. She sounded more like her old self and no doubt that had something to do with the fact that Marinette was still alive. And for better or worse, she still couldn’t decide which one yet, her condition was being considered  _ stable. _

“Like that really matters right now, Tiks,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes even though she was certain Tikki couldn’t actually see what she was doing.

_ I can’t, but I can still sense you doing it, _ the Kwami remarked drily, and now it was Marinette’s turn to smile. That smile faded when she looked back down at herself. She was surprised they hadn’t stuck her in one of those full body casts, but this wasn’t much better. She had a brace around her neck for the fractured collar bone, and another brace to support her spine which she had fractured but not fully snapped as the doctors originally feared. It would heal, hopefully with minimal side effects although they wouldn’t know if the break was enough to lead to paralysis until she had healed up a bit more. Her arms and legs were in casts, her midsection heavily bandaged and she guessed that she would never again be able to go through a metal detector without setting it off again. If she survived, that is.

She looked like she had been hit by a bus. Actually, she looked like she had been consecutively run over by twenty semi trucks thrice over but that wasn’t really here nor there. She looked up as there was a knock on the door, right before it opened to reveal her parents. They looked better, having left to shower and change while the nurses got her situated in her new room. They entered the room and were at her bedside immediately, her mother’s fingers immediately carding through physical Marinette’s inky black hair which was no longer in their signature ponytails. It must have been washed at some point because it was back to looking shiny and clean, instead of stiff and crackly with dried blood. How she wished she could feel those fingers in her hair, the light scratch of her mother’s nails on her scalp which never ceased to calm the teenager down. Her father was crouched beside her, one hand resting on the cast of one of her arms and even though she wouldn’t be able to feel it either way, she suddenly wished the cast away so that she at least knew he was touching her, trying to offer comfort and draw comfort from that small physical connection.

“Madame Cheng, Monsieur Dupain, I’ll be stepping out but feel free to hit the call button if you need anything,” the nurse offered, before opening the door and slipping out as unobtrusively as possible. Marinette watched her go and then turned back to her parents and her body.

“Maman. Papa. I’m sorry I worried you,” she said remorsefully, “and I hope you’ll forgive me when I go away.”

_ Marinette, _ Tikki began but Marinette shook her head.

“Don’t start, Tikki, not now,” she mumbled, turning away from her parents. The nurse had left the door open a crack so it wasn’t difficult for her to slip out of the room and start wandering aimlessly. As she wandered, she allowed herself to get sucked into yet another memory.

  
  
  


**One Year Ago**

“Hey, Ma-Ma-Marinette,” Luka Couffaine greeted with an easy smile after Marinette had opened the door to admit him into her family’s apartment. Her answering smile was wide and warm, her earlier troubles almost seeming to melt away when faced with a familiar and welcoming face. Stepping back, she let him inside and resisted the urge to throw her arms around him. Their friendship was in a weird state right now and she wasn’t entirely sure where they stood. Marinette had met Luka a little over a year ago, not long before her fourteenth birthday. She wasn’t as close to Juleka as she was to Alya and before last year, they had never hung out outside of school or at all, really, so she hadn’t gotten a chance to meet her brother until then. She and most of their friends had been invited to  _ the Liberty _ , the Couffaine Family’s houseboat, to help set up and to see their first live performance as Kitty Section. It had been a fun day, and the first time since meeting Adrien Agreste that Marinette had noticed another boy on a level that wasn’t strictly platonic.

Luka wasn’t just insanely attractive, he was sweet. A little bit awkward with his words at first, as he communicated better with his guitar, but attentive and kind. Sure, she had gotten flustered around him at first but with his gentle teasing and his patience, he had this way of calming her nerves in a way that Adrien had never been capable of. He didn’t think that she was weird when she jumbled up her words, didn’t get uncomfortable the way Adrien sometimes did when the word vomit happened, and often helped her to take a step back and breath when it got bad enough that she couldn’t get past the block. He was a force of nature, in his own quiet way and she was positive that if she had met him first, he was the one she would have fallen for. Now that she was well and truly over Adrien given his utter lack of a spine, it was becoming increasingly hard to keep her distance, especially now that she was the band’s official costume designer. Luka and she tended to hang out most afternoons whether it was band related or not. She didn’t want him to think he was a rebound though, so she was holding back and taking things slow.

“Hey, Luka,” she smiled softly as she stepped back to let him inside, closing the door behind him. It was a testament of how truly comfortable she had become around him that she didn’t jump, shriek, or flail when his arms suddenly snaked around her and he pulled her back against his chest in a hug that to an outsider might look intimate and coupley but for him was just Luka being Luka. She had found out pretty quickly that he was a pretty physical guy. When they hung out he was constantly brushing his hand against her hand, or her arm, or squeezing her knee or hugging her. The affectionately platonic but not so platonic kisses had started a few months ago and he never pushed any boundaries she might have. He would just plant a peck against her cheek, forehead, or the top of her head, but that didn’t change the way they made her feel extremely  _ not _ platonic towards someone who, for now at least, was supposed to be a  _ very  _ platonic friend.

“Are you okay?” He asked, voice muffled slightly as his lips were pressed to the top of her head. Against her better judgement she leaned back into his arms and allowed herself to feel safe and protected, just for a few more moments.

“Better now. You give the best hugs,” she sighed, closing her eyes contentedly. Luka’s chuckle vibrated through her pleasantly and caused her own lips to quirk up. Tipping her head back slightly so she could see him, she offered a lazy grin that he answered with one of his own.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“Hi,” he responded in kind, amusement dancing in his ocean blue eyes. “So, are we doing homework? Or am I taking your mind off school?”

“I should say homework…”

“Uh-huh,” he pressed his lips against her head once more, no doubt to hide his grin.

“It would be the responsible thing to do,” she added with a shrug.

“But?” Now she could definitely hear the grin in his voice and she couldn’t fight her own as she gave a slight shrug.

“But I guess, assuming you brought your guitar-” she hedged arching a brow.

“You know I did,” he said, laughing outright.

“-I could be persuaded to shirk my responsibilities for one afternoon,” she finished. Luka stepped back slightly and turned her around, this time pulling her into a proper hug and pressing his lips to her forehead.

“Are you really okay?” He asked.

“Not really,” she admitted with a shrug. “But I don’t want Lila to ruin this; this is our time and I’d rather just enjoy your company and not think about her.” Luka nodded, pressing one last kiss to her forehead before releasing her and lacing their fingers together.

“Then let’s go take your mind off of her,” he said, grinning impishly before tugging her after him towards the stairs. Marinette followed. How could she not, when he smiled at her like she was the center of his universe? To be honest, she was pretty sure she would follow Luka Couffaine to the ends of the earth if he kept smiling at her like that. And she couldn’t bring herself to mind one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: a brief interlude. I.E. one of the few chapters featuring a present day scene NOT from Marinette's POV. Also in which I, the author, start setting up the dominos that will bring about Lila's downfall ;) Get excited, yoll, we boutta introduce some new characters
> 
> Sorry this chapter is short, I didn't feel like adding another scene with what I have planned for the next chapter so yee
> 
> Lemme know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter didn't turn out quite the way I was expecting but hopefully it is okay haha
> 
> 02/18/2021 - Post Rewrite. Feel Free To Inform of any remaining discrepancies if they present themselves

**Present Day**

Bridgette Cheng was playing with her cousins when her mother got the call. It was Christmas Day so she was babysitting her younger cousins, Aiko and Aoi, who had spent the night last night until her aunt and uncle and the rest of their family arrived to celebrate the holiday. When the phone first rang, she was sitting on the floor with Aiko in her lap, braiding the little girl’s hair while her twin brother, Aoi, looked on in fascination. She had a feeling he would be begging her to braid his hair when she was done and she figured she could do it even though his hair was significantly shorter than his sister’s. It was chin length, while Aiko’s hair fell past her shoulders. So when the phone first rang, Bridgette didn’t even react. She figured it was her mother’s client and that she would probably take the call into her office where their chatter wouldn’t disturb them and where she could properly discuss the case she was working on. She was just tying off one of Aiko’s braids when her mother’s raised voice reached her ears and finally drew her gaze towards the kitchen.

“ _ Sà bīn _ , slow down,” Lian Cheng said urgently, and Bridgette had to perk up at the sound of her favorite Aunt’s name. While she usually went by the French version, Sabine, her mother resolutely refused to call her anything else but her given name the way it was meant to be said. “I can hardly understand you. What is it about  _ Mǎ lǐ nèi tǎ _ ?”

That was even more curious and Bridgette slowly lifted Aiko off her lap and distracted the kids with toys before heading slowly towards the kitchen. She had heard in passing that her cousin, Marinette or  _ Mǎ lǐ nèi tǎ _ as they said in Chinese, had been having trouble at school and might come spend a few months with them but no one would elaborate about what exactly the problems were. Bridgette had been a bit worried but she was mostly excited at the prospect of her favorite cousin’s unexpected visit. They were pretty close in age, Bridgette being two years older, and they both shared a common heritage since their mothers were Chinese and their fathers were French. The only difference was that Marinette’s father stuck around; Bridgette hadn’t seen her dad since she was four. Because of their closeness and age, and the fact that they were nearly identical and could easily pass as twins, Marinette and Bridgette had always been very close despite the miles that separated them.

As kids, they often spent summers visiting one or the other, switching off between Paris and Hong Kong, as well as any school breaks they could convince their parents of. The visits stopped rather abruptly when Bridgette entered high school, partially because of the workload but also because she suddenly had friends she wanted to hang out with during her free time and of course she started dating a bit. Still, they often talked on the phone or skype while doing homework or while Marinette worked on her designs and Bridgette on her baking. The older Cheng girl was determined to move to France after she graduated to attend Le Cordon Bleu and learn how to be a world famous Pastry Chef. It hadn’t exactly escaped her notice that over the past year or so, Marinette hadn’t seemed quite so cheerful as she usually was and in the last half a year or so, mentions of the friends she was so close to had abruptly stopped altogether. But when pressed Marinette would brush her off or even get defensive and she had eventually stopped asking. Now she found herself again wondering just what had been going on at that school of hers.

A sharp clatter from the kitchen snapped her from her thoughts and Bridgette rushed into the room to find the phone on the ground and her mother collapsed beside it. There was a look of shock on her pale face and tears in the corners of her eyes. Lian Cheng was always such a pillar of strength that seeing her so obviously distraught momentarily froze Bridgette in her tracks. Only Aiko and Aoi peeking into the kitchen from behind her snapped her into action once more and she ushered them out before going to her mother and crouching down, laying a hand hesitantly over hers. “ _ Mā mā _ , what’s wrong?” She asked, searching the grayish green gaze that immediately met her own.

“It is  _ Mǎ lǐ nèi tǎ _ .”

“What about her?”

“She is in the hospital.”

**2 Years Ago**

“Bridgette!”

Sixteen-Year-Old Bridgette Cheng lifted her head at the sound of her name, eyes scanning the crowd of faces until they finally landed on the petite fourteen-year-old standing on her tiptoes and waving frantically at her with a wide grin plastered across her face. That grin was immediately reflected on her own face as she picked up her pace, weaving through the crowd with the grace of a runway model. The pair crashed together in a squealing, giggling mess of limbs that was significantly less graceful as Bridgette swung the smaller girl in a circle, much to the amusement of the crowd of onlookers. It took them a solid five minutes before they separated from the embrace and even then, they kept their fingers intertwined as they held each other at arms length and took a moment to take the other in.

“I can’t believe you’re here! And you look so grown up,” Marinette exclaimed, noting that Bridgette looked eons older than she had the last time they had seen each other. She was taller, a bit more filled out with her hair tied into twin braids and a hint of make-up making her eyes pop. She hadn’t been allowed to wear makeup last time she was here, and Marinette still wasn’t allowed to even wear lip glass according to her Papa.

“I can’t believe I’m here! It has been far too long,  _ xiǎo chóng zi _ . You look just as small and adorable as always,” she teased, loving the way her cousin’s nose immediately wrinkled in indignation as she had known it would. The younger girl was an open book, her emotions worn plainly for all to see. It was probably why it had only taken about three days for Bridgette to figure out her cousin’s deepest secret last time she had visited. Her eyes strayed down to the little purse her cousin never went anywhere without and she surreptitiously winked at the tiny red Kwami peeking up at her before lifting her gaze back up to Marinette’s.

“It has, but now I have you for two whole weeks and this will be the best winter holiday of your life! I have so much planned and I want to introduce you to all of my new friends,” the younger Cheng girl said, bouncing excitedly. 

“Okay, girls. We should get going if we want to beat rush hour traffic,” Sabine Cheng said as she and her husband approached the two girls with amusement on their faces.

“Okay Maman, Papa,” Marinette grabbed one of the bags at Bridgette’s feet while she grabbed the second one.

“Sure thing,  _ ā yí _ ,  _ shū shū _ ,” the older girl agreed easily, linking elbows with her cousin and practically dragging her along in her excitement. It was good to be back in Paris and while she was excited to get to see her extended family, she was also very excited for the chance to visit an old friend she hadn’t seen in far too long.

“Marinette, what a pleasant surprise. And you have brought young Bridgette.” Master Fu’s face crinkled in delight as he welcomed the two girls, Wayzz swirling around him in his wake. Beckoning the pair inside, he flipped the sign on his door to close and then tutted around his small kitchen getting a pot of tea ready. Marinette and Bridgette settled on cushions around his small table as they waited for him.

“How is Llu doing?” He added curiously.

“You can ask him yourself,” Bri said, opening her jacket and allowing the brown and tan Kwami to zip out in the open. He hovered over her shoulder, a calm and rather stoic look on his face as he surveyed the room with cold indifference. Llu was the Deer Kwami, passed down to her from her Great Grandmother. She had had him since she was five, though she rarely transformed with him because China wasn’t currently dealing with a crazed Supervillain. She had been more than a little excited when she realized that Marinette had been selected to wield a Miraculous because it meant she finally had someone aside from her Kwami to talk about it too.

“I am fine, Master. It is good to be back, and to see how much the young Ladybug has grown in such a short amount of time,” he zipped closer to the younger girl with a thoughtful expression in his green eyes, head tipped slightly to the side. “She is more confident than she was when she first started and there is a fire in her I did not see previously that I think will serve her well. Tikki made the right choice.”

“I made the best choice,” Tikki popped her head out of the purse and then floated up with a macaron clutched between her paws. “I’ve never had a Ladybug as creative as this one, she is perfect!”

“I don’t know about that,” Marinette laughed awkwardly, tugging at one pigtail and looking away as her cheeks reddened. Tikki giggled and cuddled into her Chosen’s face before turning to watch Master Fu. The old man carried the pot of tea over to the table on a tray with three cups, setting it down and pouring it before passing it out. His gaze bounced thoughtfully between the two girls before focusing on the elder one.

“So, will Fēiyuè be making a temporary appearance on the Hero Team? I know you are less experienced as a fighter, but you have held your Miraculous far longer than Ladybug or Chat Noir,” he said after an extended period of silence. Bridgette nodded thoughtfully. She hadn’t helped the team last time she had been here because they were still new and she hadn’t wanted to steal their thunder when they were just gaining Paris’ trust. Now, Ladybug and Chat Noir were symbols of hope and had already taken on several temporary partners and it wouldn’t seem quite as weird if she showed up and helped out for a few weeks while she was in town. Besides, she had always wanted to fight a real supervillain. It was what the Miraculous were made for.

“I was hoping you would say that,” Master Fu said with a nod. “I already know you two will work well together; you think alike and always seem to know what the other is thinking before they do it. Ladybug and Chat Noir are similar in their dynamic but with the knowledge of each other’s identities, your bond is far stronger and that will most likely aid you in how you fight together,” he explained as he sipped his tea.

Reaching out, Bridgette grabbed her cousin’s hand and squeezed it. They wouldn’t just be a great team, they would be an unstoppable team she was sure of it. Marinette smiled warmly as she met her cousin’s gaze and squeezed her hand back in return. Silently though, she hoped that Chat Noir wouldn’t take offense to them suddenly getting a still temporary but slightly more permanent partner. He could be a little testy when he thought she might be replacing him and she just really hoped he didn’t put two and two together that they were A) related and B) knew each other’s identities because Chat… would not like that. Not one bit. And if he got pushy while her protective cousin was around, he would be lucky if being thrown from the top of the Eiffel Tower was the worst thing she did to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, the class ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reactions Part 1
> 
> 02/18/2021 - Post Rewrite. Feel Free To Inform of any remaining discrepancies if they present themselves

**Present Day**

“Kid.  _ Kid. Adrien, you need to wake up!” _ Tiny pinpricks dug into Adrien’s nose, jolting the sixteen-year-old awake. Shooting upright, he blinked groggily and tried to focus on the tiny black deity with the acid green eyes that was currently trying to stare into his soul. Reaching up, Adrien ruffled his blond hair and tipped his head to the side as he stared at the Kwami in confusion before finally reaching over to grasp blindly at the phone sitting on his bedside table. Squinting in the sudden harsh light of the phone screen, he noted with some annoyance that it was early. Extremely early.

“Plagg, it’s  _ Christmas _ . We don’t have to be up early,” he complained irritably, flopping back and covering his face with one arm. Of course Plagg would wake him up early the one day he was actually allowed to sleep in.

“Kid, I’m a cat, I wouldn’t be waking you up unless this was serious because I’d be asleep too!” He hissed, tail twitching agitatedly as Adrien dropped his arm and finally looked at his Kwami. Now that he was paying attention, he noted with a level of alarm that Plagg’s usually inky black fur was more of a charcoal gray and his eyes seemed dull and slightly glazed. Sitting up he cupped the tiny creature in his hands and frowned down at him.

“Plagg, are you okay? You look kind of sick,” he said worriedly, scratching absentmindedly behind one small ear with the tip of one finger. “Can Kwamis even get sick?”

“I’ll be fine, kid, but you need to transform,” Plagg said, which made Adrien even more concerned because Plagg never wanted to transform. He was ridiculously lazy and would much rather spend his time eating cheese than doing his job.

“Is there an Akuma?” If there was, it must have been a doozy for Plagg to look so serious but he was already shaking his head.

“No, it’s worse. I can’t sense Tikki. We’re bonded, kid. I can always feel where she is and how she is doing and she’s  _ not there _ !” He said, ears flattening as the first hint of panic began to edge his voice. Adrien frowned, his own worry starting to break through. Tikki was Ladybug’s Kwami. If something was wrong with  _ her _ , did that mean something was wrong with  _ Ladybug? _ He hoped not, and he hoped for her sake and for Plagg’s that Tikki was okay but there was only one way to find out.

“Okay Plagg, Claws Out!” The familiar thrill of the transformation was notably absent as it washed over him, leaving Chat Noir in his place. Immediately after the transformation finished, his baton beeped with an incoming message and he scrambled to pull it from its holster. Ladybug’s icon was blinking on the screen, and he quickly tapped the icon and held it up to his ear.

_ “You never change,” _ Ladybug’s voice began with a giggle that seemed strained to his ears. In fact, her whole voice was off, breathy and filled with a depth of pain that he had no idea she had been feeling for who knows how long. The kind of pain that didn’t spring up overnight.  _ “I’m sorry for calling so late, Kitty. I just, I needed to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t be a better Ladybug and I’m sorry I failed you and Paris,”  _ she continued and Chat blinked in confusion because this was crazy talk. Ladybug hadn’t failed him, or Paris, or anyone else. She was so strong and so brilliant and how could she not see that?

“ _ I’m trying this new thing where I stop being selfish, so I’m giving up the earrings more or less. That is to say, I am sure Master Fu will retrieve them before I’m six feet under,”  _ her voice withered here, as if she were lost in thought and All Chat could think was no. No, she wasn’t saying what he thought she was saying because how would the world be a good or decent place if Ladybug wasn’t part of it? How could she even be considering doing something like this and how hadn’t he known. He should have known, should have sensed her inner turmoil. He was her black cat, her knight, her protector. He was supposed to save her, now and forever, from any enemy that came her way. But what if that enemy was her own mind, her own self-loathing? How did one save someone from themself?

_ “I’m sorry I couldn’t be stronger, Chat. And I know you’ll probably hate me for this but it hurts so much. I just want it to stop hurting. I just… I had to say goodbye.” _ The line went dead, the baton clattering to the floor as the boy sank to his knees. His Miraculous beeped once before the transformation broke altogether and Plagg shot out of the ring. The Kwami looked even more pale now, whether from the news or the toll of the transformation Adrien couldn’t tell. He had a grave look on his face as his acid gaze clashed with Adrien’s Peridot one.

“Turn on the news.”

It took a minute before Adrien realized what he meant and why he was asking. If Ladybug had actually tried to hurt herself, it might already be on the news. With shaky hands, he fumbled with the remote until he managed to power on the television and flip to TVi’s main channel. Immediately Nadja Chammack’s face filled the television screen and her grave expression was more than enough to tell Adrien all he needed to know.

  
  
  


Christmas has always been one of Alya Cesaire’s favorite times of years. For as far back as she could remember, she had woken up early to her mother, Marlena, and her father, Otis, working side by side in the kitchen to prepare her mother’s famous waffles. They would set the table and then call their four daughters into the dining room to eat great food and bask in the togetherness of family. Afterward, they would gather around their Christmas tree and open presents. This particular year was really exciting, because Alya had gotten a new computer and a new camera that she had her eye on for quite awhile. Her parents had felt she deserved it after all of the babysitting she had done for Ella and Etta over the last few months and she was not complaining. The laptop would be great for editing and writing blog posts on the go and the camera was a higher end device that would bring her pictures for the blog to a whole other level. As soon as was socially acceptable, she took both items to her bedroom and immediately set up the laptop. She was intending to Skype Nino, figuring he must be finished with family time by now and that they could maybe meet up in a bit and go to one of their favorite coffee shops for a few hours.

Once she had set up the computer, Alya opened her browser to open Skype but paused as something caught her eye. There was a news story linked on the front page from TVi studios. Thinking that they had perhaps posted something about Ladybug that she might be unaware of, Alya chose to open that first. The clip was old, taken sometime last night or really early in the morning in front of the Eiffel Tower and Alya quickly clicked the play button.

_ “Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news,” _ the burgundy-haired woman began, but her cheery greeting fell flat and she looked as far from her normally energetic self as Alya had ever seen her, even when she debuted at Prime Time.  _ “I am reporting to you live from the Eiffel Tower where tonight, between the hours of midnight and three am, a young girl attempted to take her life.” _

Alya’s eyebrows skyrocketed and she hit the pause button before grabbing the computer and carrying it out into the living room to connect to the main television. Nora, her older sister, complained as she turned off whatever wrestling match she had been watching but Alya waved her off and insisted this was important. As she finished setting it up and hit play, her parents joined her curiously. Ella and Etta were thankfully still in their bedroom, more focused on their new toys than what their older family members were doing in the living room. Nadja’s face once again filled the screen, her expression grave.

_ “Officials say they aren’t certain how the girl got quite so high up the tower after hours, though any fall from the highest accessible levels would be enough to kill on impact. Perhaps the most shocking revelation, however, is that the girl was still reported to be breathing when she was rushed to Paris Regional Medical Center! Paramedics at the scene were unable to determine the extent of her injuries, though they did say the injuries were severe and life-threatening,” _ Nadja continued, the camera panning to show several men and women working to clean up the scene of the accident.

_ “The girl in question is a local sixteen year old who attends Lycée Voltaire. Marinette Dupain-Cheng is the daughter of a personal friend of mine, Sabine Cheng and her husband Tom Dupain of the T & S Boulangerie Patisserie. Marinette is well-known for her aspirations to become a fashion designer, and has caught the attention of both Gabriel Agreste of Gabriel Fashions and Audrey Bourgeois of Style Queen Magazine. She has also reportedly done work for Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale,”  _ Nadja Chammack was still talking, but Alya had stopped listening to her after she said the name of the victim. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Marinette, her former classmate. Marinette, her former friend turned arch nemesis.  _ That _ Marinette Dupain-Cheng?

Distantly she was aware of her parents and sister asking if she was okay but she seemed incapable of responding so she just got up and walked mechanically to her bedroom. The door shut behind her and she leaned against it with a shaky breath grasping blindly for the lock behind her before sliding down to the floor. Alya wasn’t entirely certain what to be feeling right now. On the one hand, Marinette had once been her best friend. Her first best friend, if she were being honest because most people at her previous schools had always found her too headstrong and pushy. Marinette had actually admired that about her which had always made the auburn-haired girl feel special. Marinette had been a great best friend, supportive and encouraging her to reach for her dreams while also chastising herself for taking unnecessary risks in her pursuits of a story for her Ladyblog. That is part of the reason it had been so devastating when Marinette had started bullying Lila.

When Lila first came to school, Marinette took an immediate dislike to her and Alya could kind of understand because her friend was prone to jealousy. Yet even after Lila backed off and offered to help Marinette out with the blond, the ravenette had continued to try and tear the Italian girl down every chance she got, usually by accusing her of lying about her adventures, her disabilities, the people she knew. It was just so unlike Marinette but she and their classmates were watching it happen. When the physical harassment started, Alya hadn’t wanted to believe Marinette capable of that but the evidence was there in the various injuries Lila would show up with and in the fact that there was only one student at Francoise Dupont who openly hated the brunette. So even though it hadn’t made sense, it had also made perfect sense.

Alya had tried so hard to keep up the friendships, to get the two girls to see eye to eye but alas she was unsuccessful and after a particularly bad day when Marinette had gotten right up in Lila’s face in front of the whole class, she had finally been forced to take a side. Lila didn’t deserve the hurtful words, the physical abuse, the mental exhaustion. She was just trying to live her life and go to school and Marinette was making that incredibly difficult. So while Alya wasn’t exactly happy that her former best friend was in the hospital after trying to kill herself, she also couldn’t entirely bring herself to be sad about it. While Marinette now attended a different Lycee than the rest of the class, she had still been bullying Lila quite frequently. It had gotten to the point Alya and some of her other friends had taken drastic measures to ensure Marinette stopped going after Lila. So as bad as it might sound out loud, she was kind of glad that the other girl might not be around for awhile. Even if she would eventually be back. Alya didn’t think she was faking her injuries but she wouldn’t put it past her or Nadja to embellish the truth a bit. Marinette probably hadn’t jumped from as high as they said she did. How could she have? Those levels were inaccessible to the general public and besides, the fact that she was alive was proof enough.

Her ‘extensive injuries’ probably consisted of a broken arm or a leg, maybe a concussion but that was it. This was just another cry for attention like the day she claimed Lila had shoved her down the stairs. Nothing would come from it and eventually, Marinette would realize she no longer held any sort of weight among her former classmates and she would stop faking and go back to being her usual bitchy self. Getting back to her feet, Alya scooped up her phone and settled on her bed, hitting the speed dial and lifting the phone to her ear. After a few rings, the line clicked and a cheerful voice greeted her on the other end.

“Hey, Lila. I think you should turn on your tv.”

  
  


Lila Rossi was incredibly bored. It was the middle of Winter Break and she still had another week before she could go back to school. As far as her classmates knew, she was off at a fancy Ski Resort with Clara Nightingale, which meant she had to stay inside for the entirety of break lest she run into one of them. It was a hassle but it would be totally worth it when she returned to class with a half dozen fabricated stories of her time away. Perhaps she could find an attractive male celebrity and invent a tale of winter romance to woo the girls of their class, and an epic competition that she won despite her many disabilities to excite the boys. After all, they were sheep, followers. Of all the schools she had been to, this was definitely the least hostile takeover she had encountered. It had been only too easy to turn her new pets against their golden girl and she relished in her success even as she wished for something more exciting to happen to her to stave off the boredom.

As if on cue, her phone rang where it lay on her bedside table and she picked it up to see who was calling. Alya, her favorite of the sheep. It had been laughably easy to turn the girl into little more than a starstruck fan, and all the sweeter given she was once Marinette’s best friend. How she had relished in tearing the foundation of their friendship right out from under them and watching it crumble into a heap of rubble. Truly, the destruction of Marinette Dupain-Cheng was some of her best work and she was quite proud of it. Sliding her thumb across the screen she decided to answer the phone if for no other reason than to give her something to entertain herself.

“Hey, Alya, Merry Christmas!” She chirped brightly, rolling her eyes at how nauseatingly chipper she sounded.

“Hey, Lila. I think you should turn on your tv,” Alya said, and Lila immediately narrowed her eyes because there was something off in Alya’s voice and it wasn’t just the fact that she hadn’t said Merry Christmas. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was but she didn’t argue as she reached for the remote to her small television and turned it on. It was already on a news channel so she figured out pretty quickly what Alya wanted her to see without even having to ask what channel. Her fingers tightened briefly around the phone as she listened to the news story currently being shot live outside Paris Regional Medical Center. The headline flashing along the bottom of the screen read:  **_Sixteen Year Old Marinette Dupain-Cheng in Coma After Eiffel Tower Suicide Attempt; more on TVi at Six._ **

Lila blinked once, twice, and then slowly a wide grin spread across her lips as she listened in on the newscaster explaining how the body was found in the wee hours of the morning, originally thought to be dead until Paramedics arrived on scene and confirmed that she was alive, though barely. Ha, this was even better than she had ever expected. Not only had she kept her promise of taking away all of Marinette’s friends, she had drove the girl to a suicide attempt. This was… this was fantastic. She had always wondered how far she would have to go in order to break someone so thoroughly that they tried to kill themselves and now she knew. And really, it served the bitch right. She had tried to make peace with the little do-gooder but she hadn’t taken her offer. That was hardly Lila’s fault. Still, there was definitely a certain amount of satisfaction from listening to the newscasters remarking on how extensive and life-threatening the girl’s injuries were.

“Lila? Lila, are you there?” Alya’s voice jolted her back to reality and Lila barely had to try to inflect a dose of guilt and self-loathing in her voice when she responded.

“I… I’m here. Alya, you don’t think this is all my fault, do you?” She simpered. She was immediately gratified by the rushed denials of her favorite sheep trying to reassure her. It felt so good to be Queen.

  
  
  


Nino Lahiffe glanced at his silent cell phone where it was perched beside his stereo. It was unlike his girlfriend to take so long to call him, especially on Christmas day. She had promised to call him after she and her family opened their presents and he supposed she could be caught up in what her parents got her but even then. He felt she would have at least sent him a text to let him know as much. Then there was Adrien, who had notably not online earlier when they had planned to play a few rounds of UMS. Nino doubted his father was spending time with Adrien, which was the only feasible reason why the blond would miss a chance at playing a game with his best bud. It was worrying and he was just about to grab his phone when there was a knock at his bedroom door and his little brother, Noel, poked his head inside.

“Hey, your friends are here,” he said distractedly, barely looking up from the video gaming device in his hands.

“Who, Alya?” He asked, rising.

“No,” the younger boy said before disappearing from the doorway. Rolling his eyes at his brother’s helpfulness, or lack thereof, Nino got up and headed out of his room and down the hall to the living room. He was surprised to see Kim and Max standing there. While they were on friendly terms, they weren’t super close and rarely hung out outside of group settings. Plus they hadn’t had plans so the fact that they had dropped in unexpectedly on Christmas day seemed really bizarre.

“Um, hey guys,” he greeted in confusion, gaze bouncing between them curiously as he took in their grim expressions.

“Have you watched the news?” Kim demanded, further confusing the boy. He shook his head and watched in confusion as Kim strode over to grab the remote and flip on the television. He flipped to a news station and Nino was about to ask what the hell this was all about when the words died on his tongue and his gaze became riveted to the news story. Neither Kim not Max spoke as he listened to the story, cold dread settling in the pit of his stomach like a stone. Marinette… had tried to kill herself?

“What… how.. when…” He sputtered, shifting his gaze helplessly towards the two boys.

“I don’t know what’s going on with Marinette, Lila, and Alya… but she didn’t deserve this, man,” Kim said softly, shaking his head in disgust. Nino felt there might have been a barb in there against his girlfriend but for once couldn’t bring himself to care or defend her. Not right now when he was struggling to understand as well. Marinette. He had known her since they were still in pull ups and she was always so bright and warm and happy-go-lucky. Everyone who met her loved her (except maybe Chloe) until Lila Rossi came along and changed everything. While Nino didn’t think Lila was lying, he could admit some of her stories were farfetched and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say she embellished the truth often enough. He was often left confused and uneasy when something happened between the two, torn between wanting to protect the hapless, disabled new girl and wanting to be there for one of his oldest friends and understand where she was coming from. He was a little ashamed to admit that, given his relationship with Alya and her steadfast belief that Lila was the victim and Marinette the bully (which had honestly never sounded right because it was Marinette and she would never bully anyone), he was more often on Lila’s side than Marinette.

But this… this seemed extreme. Had it really gotten this bad for the girl they had once called their Everyday Ladybug that she felt the need to take her own life? Had it really gotten so bad that she felt she had nothing left to live for? Marinette was so good and so bright and she had a great future ahead of her and- oh, the newscaster was still speaking and it was with a level of numbness that he tuned back into the story. The newscaster wasn’t Nadja Chamack but a young man with short black hair and brown eyes. He looked young and a bit green behind the ears but perhaps Nadja was in with the Dupain-Chengs? Everyone in class knew that TVi’s main star was close to the Dupain-Cheng family, that she had watched the pigtailed teenager grow up and that she regularly hired her to babysit her daughter, Manon.

“...says that while her injuries are extensive, Miss Dupain-Cheng is out of surgery and in stable condition. Her parents have declined to answer any further questions. Miss Dupain-Cheng is a local teenager in her second year at Lycée Voltaire. She is said to be an inspired young woman who wishes to become a fashion designer and who rubs elbows with stars such as Adrien and Gabriel Agreste, Clara Nightingale, Jagged Stone, and even XY.” The man was saying but Nino had stopped listening after he confirmed she was in stable condition.

Nino wasn’t a physics wizz like his best friend, Adrien, but he knew enough to know that when a body hit the ground at high velocity from that height, they tended to go splat. It was a miracle in and of itself that she had survived the impact at all, he couldn’t imagine how bad her injuries must be and he suddenly felt like he was going to be physically ill. A glance at the two boys and he noted that they also looked a bit sick to their stomachs, even the usually stoic Max. To say they had messed up was a gross understatement.

  
  
  


Alix, Nathaniel, Mylene, and Ivan were all together when the news dropped. They had already spent time with their families before congregating at Alix’s family home to hang out and be artsy together. A year ago they might have invited Marinette to join them because she had more creativity in her pinkie finger than any of them combined. The class had soured towards her in the last twelve months however, especially after the revelations that she was stealing designs from Lila. Even Alix had been a bit hesitant to accept that once because Marinette was already creative enough, why did she need to steal designs from someone else? And yet, Lila had proof and Marinette did not so she had accepted it and chalked it up to the ravenette being, once again, jealous. She was in the middle of spray painting a canvas in her art studio while Nathaniel worked on his comic and Ivan and Mylene worked on song lyrics for their next Kitty Section song. That was usually a Rose thing but apparently they wanted to try their hand at writing music.

“Hey, Lix, why don’t you turn on the radio?” Nath said, lifting his head to look at her. She stopped spraying to shoot him an annoyed look. He knew she hated when he interrupted her process but she reached over and flicked on the old paint spattered radio anyway. The radio was tuned to some talk show and she was about to change it to her favorite grunge station when what they were saying clicked and her fingers froze on the dial.

_ “...yeah, it’s the most tragic story. Only sixteen years old, her whole life ahead of her, and it could all be over.” _ A man was saying, voice heavy with sadness.

_ “Did they say why she did it? A girl like this doesn’t exactly seem like the time to try and take her own life. I mean, she’s Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s designed for the stars, helped Clara Nightingale with the concept of her music video, and even caught the attention of both Audrey Bourgeois and Gabriel Agreste,” _ a woman added, the man quickly responding back.

_ “According to an anonymous source, Miss Dupain-Cheng has been subject to some pretty terrible bullying the past year or so; sources report she has been completely isolated from her friends and even her family.” _

_ “Such a shame. Young people can be so cruel these days. Well, our thoughts are with you, Miss Dupain-Cheng. We wish you a speedy recovery and that justice comes to those who hurt you. This is Amelie Vangogh and Riley Starr signing off!” _ The woman, Amelie, said. Some random pop song turned on in their absence but Alix wasn’t paying a lot of attention as she spun in her chair to face her stunned classmates. Mylene looked ill, her fair skin tinged green as she clung to a frowning Ivan, their song writing abandoned Nathaniel looked angry, face almost as red as his hair and Alix… she was furious.

“We… we didn’t bully her! She bullied Lila, we were just paying her back for what she’s done to our friend,” the pink-haired girl cried, breaking the silence that had fallen over them all.

“Are you sure about that? I mean, what proof has Lila ever actually shown that Marinette was actually bullying her?” Nathaniel asked quietly, shoulders drooping slightly as he watched her. Alix faltered. There had been proof. Of course there had been proof. The sketchbooks she claimed were her property, the stolen items, the injuries. Those were proof, weren’t they?

“I-” She began but Mylene cut her off.

“Now that I think about it, has anyone ever seen Marinette hurt Lila? All she has ever done was call her a liar. I’ve never seen her push or grab Lila, and surely if she had been bullying her someone in the class would have caught her hurting Lila at least once?” She said, tears suddenly filling her eyes. Ivan didn’t say anything but he held her close and rubbed his hand comfortingly up and down her arm. The four fell silent as they reflected on the events of the last year and their own actions.

  
  
  


Chloe Bourgeois was in her bedroom sorting through her pile of presents when a sudden, frantic knocking at her door drew her attention. Frowning, she crossed her room and yanked the door open fully intent on yelling at whoever was on the other side and interrupting her Christmas, but the words died on her throat when she took in her best friend. Sabrina Raincomprix was out of breath, almost doubled over with her hands on her knees as she drew great ragged breaths into her lungs. The most shocking thing, however, was what a wet mess her face had become. Contrary to popular belief, Chloe did care for Sabrina. They had been friends since they were in diapers and seeing her so distraught was enough to tug even her heartstrings just a little bit.

“Ugh. You might as well come in,” she said, ushering the girl inside and shutting the door behind her. She got the redhead on her couch and grabbed a box of tissues, handing them awkwardly to her blubbering mess of a friend. Sabrina cried for a solid ten minutes before she seemed to compose herself enough to speak.

“M-M-Marin-n-nette. S-s-she t-t-tried-” she broke off with a keening whine and Chloe reluctantly dropped onto the couch beside her and patted her awkwardly on the back. Sabrina had a stutter back when they were kids and Chloe had worked hard to help her eradicate it so that no one would try to bully her because of it. For it to come back so badly now, something really bad had to have happened.

“Brina, slow down,” Chloe said gently, rubbing her back. “Breath. Think about what you want to say and then say it slowly,” she coached the way she had done when they were six.

Sabrina nodded shakily, taking several uneven breaths before she attempted to speak again. “M-My d-d-dad. He got c-called away th-this mmmorning. Ssssomeone j-jumped off the E-Eiffel Tower,” she said, fresh tears joining the half-dried tracks on her cheeks.

“Holy shit,” Chloe said, mouth falling open. Sabrina suddenly turned, her turquoise eyes filled with hurt, anger, sadness, regret, disbelief. Too many emotions to properly name them all.

“C-c-chloe. I-it was Mmmmarin-n-ette,” she whispered. It took a moment for the blonde to fully understand the gravity of her words and suddenly she felt lightheaded. If she were standing, she might have collapsed. It was no secret that Chloe didn’t like Marinette. They had been at odds for years because Chloe, and she could admit this in the privacy of her own head, was insanely jealous of the other girl. Marinette was so surrounded by love; the love of her friends, her family, even Jagged Stone had claimed her as his honorary niece. Chloe knew because she had often seen him and Marinette together at the hotel along with his manager, Penny. Chloe had everything money could buy, but her mother routinely forgot her name and her father… while he loved her, he was more of the ‘throw money at the problem and hope it went away’ type. Sabrina was the only one who had ever truly loved Chloe and accepted her flaws and all so yeah, she was a bit jealous of the girl who didn’t even have to try to get people to fall all over themselves in an effort to be graced with her smile. It was sickening.

When Lila first arrived, Chloe was almost excited to see Dupain-Cheng taken down a peg or two but then the real bullying started and suddenly she wasn’t quite so excited. She had watched the systematic destruction of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, unable to help because the girl had shut everyone out. Even those who might have offered some sort of support system so that she didn’t come to this exact outcome. How bad had it gotten that Marinette felt the need to throw herself from the Eiffel Tower? How bad had it gotten that this was apparently the only choice that made sense to her. She could feel her own tears welling up now, along with a heavy dose of self-loathing because she wasn’t entirely an innocent party here. Sure, she hadn’t bullied Marinette in over a year, but she could have tried harder to help her, protect her, knock some sense into the minds of those idiotic sheep she called classmates. She was just as guilty as they were and that thought made her feel physically ill.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reactions Part 2
> 
> 02/18/2021 - Post Rewrite. Feel Free To Inform of any remaining discrepancies if they present themselves

**Present Day**

Adrien felt numb. The news station was still droning on in the background but he was no longer paying attention, his thoughts too caught up in the revelations of the past few minutes. Ladybug had left a voicemail on his phone that heavily hinted she planned to kill herself. Marinette Dupain-Cheng had tried to take her own life last night. Only he and the other Heroes of Paris were capable of reaching the uppermost platforms of the tower after hours. Marinette was presumed to have jumped from the highest platform which was definitely inaccessible to the general populace. Ladybug wasn’t answering her com and Plagg couldn’t sense Tikki. He didn’t want to believe it, was almost afraid to believe it but he had to know. Plagg couldn’t tell him without choking on bubbles, but there was one person who could tell him the truth and he fully intended on making him admit the truth, even if he had to Cataclysm it out of him.

“Plagg, Claws Out!” He called on his transformation, leaping from the window the moment he had turned into Chat Noir. The usual joy of racing atop the rooftops was notably absent as Chat charged across the city, taking a slightly roundabout way because he really wanted to avoid the Eiffel Tower right now. He had only been to Master Fu’s once, but the path was ingrained in his mind and he was more than a little relieved that the man didn’t have any clients when he burst recklessly through the door, startling the Kwami and the old man who were having tea at the table in the center of the room. Master Fu blinked at the sudden intrusion but otherwise showed no signs of being phased by the rude interruption.

“Chat Noir, what a pleasant-”

“Is Marinette Dupain-Cheng Ladybug!?” Chat cut him off, ears pinned and tail lashing behind him as he awaited the answer. This time Fu did blanche, surprise and wariness reflection in his brown gaze.

“I’m sorry, Chat, you know I cannot tell you-”

“Cut the crap, old man. Marinette is  _ dying _ . Is she Ladybug or not!?” Chat was in front of him in a blink, lifting him up by the front of his tacky Hawaiian shirt and glaring harshly at him, almost daring him to try and argue about identities further. Despite the obvious threat, Master Fu stared at him calmly, seeming to mull over the situation before finally giving a decisive nod.

“Yes. They are one and the same,” he finally said and it took everything in the young Hero to lower the man back down rather than drop him in his shock. Wayzz zipped around his master, inspecting him before glaring angrily at the Cat Hero, but Master Fu waved him off before the Turtle Kwami could scold the impetuous child. Before them, Chat dropped to his knees and his transformation unravelled, leaving a broken boy in its wake. Plagg lowered himself down to nestle among his blond hair, his eyes lifting to Wayzz and Master Fu.

“Master. I can’t sense Tikki,” he said.

“You’re sick, Plagg. We must take care of you first,” the old Chinese man but Plagg shook his head.

“I’ll be fine. We need to focus on the Bugs. Tikki’s done something, I’m sure of it. There’s no way her bug could have survived that fall without some sort of influence from Sugarcube,” he said, frowning slightly. 

“You don’t think she tried to force a transformation?” Wayzz asked worriedly. Master Fu hesitated. Normally he would say no, Tikki wasn’t stupid but… she had always been an emotional one, getting extremely attached to her Bugs. It always killed her when their lives inevitably ended either through battle, natural disasters, or simply old age. She had never been this close to one of her Bugs, though, and she had never seen one of her Bugs try to take their own life. A desperate Tikki was far more volatile, dangerous, and unpredictable than an angry Plagg.

“I do not know, but we must find out. If she did, the Miraculous could have been permanently damaged. We will need to retrieve them but…” he trailed off in thought.

“But what?” Adrien finally looked up and found the old man’s face to be drawn into a grim frown.

“If Tikki bonded herself to Marinette instead of the Miraculous, removing the earrings could very well kill them both,” he finally said.

  
  
  


Rose and Juleka were enjoying the holiday on the  _ Liberty _ . They were below deck, the chilly air proving too much for either girl. They were in Luka and Juleka’s bedroom, with Juleka propped up against the wall behind her bed and Rose sitting between her legs with an Acoustic Guitar over their laps, plucking out a random tune on the strongs. With Anarka visiting family in Scotland and Luka still away, the pair had been nearly inseparable over Winter Break. They were both sad that school would be back in session in a week but they still had today and New Years Eve to celebrate together so they were making the most of it.

Rose adjusted her fingers on the frets and began to play something more cohesive and song-like. She wasn’t a skilled guitarist but years of knowing Luka and Juleka had taught her enough that her girlfriend didn’t feel the need to rip the guitar from her hands like that one time Luka had attempted to teach Marinette a basic tune. At the thought of her raven-haired classmate, Rose’s fingers slipped and a loud  _ Twang _ rang out harshly in the stillness of the air causing Juleka to jump and Rose to flinch. Juleka’s hand settled over hers where she was currently clutching the neck of the instrument hard enough for her knuckles to turn white and she quickly released her death grip. The last thing she wanted to do was damage the guitar.

“Are you okay?” Juleka’s voice was soft and soothing as she ran her fingers lightly through Rose’s hair. She had started growing it out, the short bob now falling to her shoulders in loose, pink tipped curls.

“Do you think Marinette is having a good Holiday?” She asked, frowning slightly as she tipped her head up to look questioningly at the taller girl. Juleka frowned and shook her head.

“I don’t know. As far as I know, she and Luka haven’t really spoken since he left France,” she said thoughtfully. Rose nodded dejectedly, lips turning down at the corners.

“Do you think she would be okay with us visiting sometime this week? Maybe we could even video chat with Luka while we’re there. I’m sure he misses her,” she suggested hopefully, but Juleka’s expression was less than enthusiastic.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so,” she admitted. Rose sighed, shoulders sagging briefly. Watching her wilt, Juleka squeezed her tighter and added with a faint smile, “but we can certainly try.” Rose immediately perked up and set the guitar aside, turning to hug her girlfriend back before resettling and reaching for the tv remote. 

“Do you think TVi is talking about Luka and Jagged yet? Their tour has been on the news a lot lately and they had that big show in New York last night, right?” She said, flipping on the television. Whatever Juleka was about to say died in her throat as the pair focused on the television and the very prominent image of Marinette Dupain-Cheng being shown in the corner of the screen above the newscaster. Rose straightened, turning the sound up and leaning forward slightly as she listened to the man speak.

_ “...are asking for any leads into the bullying of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Here is Officer Raincomprix now with more on the subject.” _

_ The camera shifted, panning to include the stiff, redheaded man as he blinked nervously into the camera before visibly shaking himself and growing more serious and focused. “Thank you, Mr. Langston. I first want to assure concerned parties that the Paris Police Department are taking this very seriously. We will be thoroughly investigating everyone suspected to be involved in the bullying of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, as well as the school where this reportedly started. If you or someone you know has any information pertaining to the case, please call 555-555-5555. Thank you.” The camera shifted back to face the reporter, taking in the name of the hospital behind him as well. _

_ “Thank you, Officer Raincomprix. Hopefully those involved will be brought swiftly to justice. In the meantime, let us send our thoughts and prayers to the Dupain-Cheng Family and the young child fighting for her life. This is Jarrod Langston with TVi news.” _

Rose and Juleka were frozen for a moment before Juleka suddenly grabbed her phone and lifted it to her ear after dialling the familiar number. It took several rings and she almost feared he wouldn’t pick up but finally the line clicked and the familiar voice filled the speaker.

“Hey, Jules, Rock n’ Roll! What’s up I’m a little-”

“Dad, turn on TVi. It’s about Marinette.”

  
  
  


Luka Couffaine sighed dejectedly as he glanced at his phone screen once more hoping, praying that it would ring. It had been weeks since he had heard her voice, even longer since he had held a proper conversation with her and he missed her like he would a piece of his soul. He hadn’t wanted to go on this stupid tour but Marinette… she was stubborn. It was one of the many things he loved about her but now it also frustrated him to no end. She had refused to even consider him staying home in France after his father, Jagged Stone, invited him to tour with them. Jagged’s usual Guitarist had to stay home because his Wife went into an early labor and he wanted to be there with her and their daughter which was understandable, but also left the Rockstar in a bit of a bind. He had immediately thought of Luka to take over temporarily and normally Luka would jump at the chance but now…

Groaning, he leaned back against the Crocodile that had taken to hanging out in his hotel room. He wasn’t sure why Fang had taken such a liking to him but if the Crocodile wasn’t with Jagged, he was with Luka. At least he made for good, mellow company and he didn’t mind Luka leaning back against his massive, scaled frame while he fiddled with his Electric Guitar. He didn’t even seem to mind the discordant notes flowing from the guitar now as Luka tried to portray how he was feeling. He was better at portraying how others were feeling than himself but he felt this was a fairly accurate representation of how shitty he was feeling. Setting the guitar aside, he reached out and once again grabbed his phone but this time he hit the call button. The phone rang and rang and rang before once again going to voicemail, the cheerful voice like a shard of glass to his heart.

_ “Hi! You’ve reached Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I can’t come to the phone right now but if you leave your name and number after the beep, I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks, and have a great day!” _

Luka didn’t leave a message, ending the call and dropping the phone to the floor before scrubbing roughly at his face. He knew she was trying to push him away and he hated she felt the need to do that. She was so afraid of losing anyone else that she thought pushing out those who loved her was the answer. She didn’t seem to realize that he loved her, heart, body, and soul and that leaving her wasn’t even a possibility. He had been hooked from the moment she looked up at him with those big blue eyes and fumbled over her own name. Rising abruptly, he kicked the guitar in his frustration causing Fang to jump at the harsh sound the instrument emitted. He winced, about to apologize to the irritated reptile when the door to his bedroom suddenly burst open, allowing Jagged Stone and Penny Rolling into the room. He blinked. He was pretty sure he had locked that door and he was pretty sure his lock (and his door) were now broken.

“Dad, what-” he began, bewildered because this was extreme even for his eccentric father. Jagged wasn’t listening though, rushing past him to grab the television remote and the look on his face made whatever Luka was going to ask fall away. He had never seen the man look so unravelled but this was the face of a man barely holding on by a thread. His usual suave confidence was replaced by panic, horror, anger and Luka was fairly certain his cheeks were wet from tears. Even Penny didn’t look much better and the fact she hadn’t scolded Jagged about the door was enough to tell the nineteen year old that something was very, very wrong right now and that was enough to shut him up and wait for someone to explain.

Jagged fumbled with the remote a few times before finally managing to turn it on. How he managed to get French TV channels in their American Hotel room was beyond the teenager but he soon found himself staring at a TVi news channel. Bemused but curious, he ambled closer as Jagged cranked the volume. The camera was pointed at Nadja Chammack, while behind her the Eiffel Tower stood in all her glory. Was there another Akuma? If that were the case, though, why did Jagged look like someone had just killed Fang? There was a beat of silence and then Nadja started to speak.

_ “Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news. I’m Nadja Chammack, reporting to you live from the Eiffel Tower where just twelve short hours ago, aspiring fashion designer and Lycee Voltaire student Marinette Dupain-Cheng tried to take her own life-” _

She was still talking but Luka couldn’t hear what she was saying under the sudden, sharp ringing in his ears. Marinette.  _ His _ Marinette. The light of his life, the melody in his heart,  _ that _ Marinette had tried to kill herself? He was going to be sick. This was all his fault. He knew he shouldn’t have listened when she assured him that she was fine, that he should go and enjoy the tour with his father. He knew he shouldn’t have believed her when she assured him that things were getting better, that she didn’t feel quite so trapped. He knew he shouldn’t believe her when she said that she would manage just fine without him. He should have stayed, he should have been there. He should have run back to her the moment he noticed she was starting to pull away, not listened when she had tried to tell him that she was just busy or distracted.

He could feel his heart trying to beat it’s way out of his chest, the need to hop on a plane and go to her nearly overwhelming. He knew, had known for awhile how bad things had gotten at school for her and he had tried his best to make things better, easier. He had thought things were starting to look up for her, just a bit. She attended his old Lycee now, and while Luka had graduated and couldn’t be there to watch her back, he had made sure his friends who hadn’t graduated were there for her instead. Especially since three of them were in the same grade as she was. Allegra, in particular, had several classes with Marinette and as a fellow girl had taken to going to the bathroom with Marinette whenever she needed to go. Her time of dealing with Lila had made the raven-haired girl terrified of public bathrooms. She was constantly worrying about being cornered and he would be damned if he let that happen under his watch. As for Claude and Allan, they often walked her to the classes she didn’t share with Allegra, and often one or both walked her home as well. Rose and Juleka helped when they could; they had stopped falling for Lila’s lies when he finally yelled some sense into them around eight months previously.

Marinette had been doing well as of late. She had started to open up to the possibility of getting into Therapy, she spent all her free time with the Couffaines either at her place or on the  _ Liberty _ or in Jagged Stone’s hotel room. She was much quicker to smile and get excited now, and was starting to design again which she had stopped after the last ruined Sketchbook left her nearly despondent. When she insisted so vehemently that she was okay and that she would be okay he had agreed to go. Not because he entirely believed her but because he was selfish and he wanted to go. His father’s Rockstar lifestyle hadn’t left much time for Luka and Juleka to get to know him personally growing up and this was a chance to really get to know his dad. Plus, it was a great opportunity to get his name out there, to get people to notice him and his skill with a guitar and that had seemed pretty worth leaving Marinette for six months. He was selfish and self-centered and he should have told his dad no. Jagged adored Marinette. If they had told him the truth he would have understood. In fact, he probably would have insisted that Marinette join them on tour. Why hadn’t he invited her on tour? She could have taken online classes or something. 

Luka felt his legs give out from underneath him and he was distantly aware of Jagged and Penny calling his name and trying to get him to focus on the sounds of their voices and  _ breath, Luka, breath! _ Was he not breathing? He dragged a lungful of air into his lungs and winced as they burned from lack of oxygen. Yeah, breathing was good. He took another, slower breath in and out, trying to regulate his breaths as someone, Penny, he was pretty sure, talked to him in soft soothing tones. Right, he needed to calm himself. He couldn't go to Marinette like this, and that was something he planned on doing. He needed… he needed…

“Dad?” His voice sounded strained and desperate even to his own ears. Helpless. It wasn’t a feeling he was accustomed to, nor one he enjoyed feeling.

“I know, kid. I know,” Jagged was suddenly there, pulling him into a fierce hug. Luka had never in his life clung to someone for dear life but he found himself doing so now, clinging to his father like a child after a particularly bad nightmare. He was only distantly aware of Jagged quietly requesting that Penny book them the very next flight to Paris.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More reasons to hate Chatdrien... and more reasons to love Bridgette ;)
> 
> 02/18/2021 - Post Rewrite. Feel Free To Inform of any remaining discrepancies if they present themselves

**Present Time**

Marinette was swiftly finding out that being a ghost was very, very boring. Tikki still wanted her to stick close to her body, unfortunately, so Marinette had mostly loitered around her hospital room watching the people who came inside. Mostly it was just her parents. They cried, a lot. Also her  _ Nonna _ , Gina. She also cried, something Marinette wasn’t sure the feisty old woman was capable of, but she also told anybody and everybody who would listen that her little Marinetta was a  _ fighter _ and that she would soon make a miraculous recovery. Madame Chammack had stopped by, as a friend rather than a reporter, which had been nice. Wisely the plum-haired woman had left her daughter, Manon, at home with a babysitter. She had shed a few tears but mostly she had just held Sabine while she cried some more. Yeah, there was a lot of crying. On the other side of the spectrum, there were the clinical coldness of the nurses and doctors who routinely filtered in and out of the room to check all the tubes and machines and wires attached to her, to check her vitals and ensure she was generally comfortable and still alive.

There was one nurse, an older lady who had introduced her as Nurse Jaqueline, who Marinette quite liked. She was the only person who genuinely talked to her. She didn’t cry over her, or ask all the why questions that she didn’t want to dwell on like her family did. But she also wasn’t as cold and business-like as her colleagues. She talked to Marinette as she puttered around the room as if she knew she was there, knew she was listening and that made Marinette feel not quite so alone. Sure, she had Tikki to talk to but most of the time Tikki seemed really tired and was just a faint presence in the back of her mind normally only speaking up to scold Marinette for trying to leave her body, or trying to manipulate the living world because apparently she was not a poltergeist and she needed to stop it, it wouldn’t work no matter how many times she tried to pick up the remote and change the channel.

By the end of Christmas day, she was ready to scream from how crazy bored she was. It was late, well past midnight according to the clock on the wall and she was alone with only her thoughts and her body for company. Not exactly a sentence Marinette would have ever thought would cross her mind. She was more or less sitting in the plush armchair that sat in one corner of the room staring listlessly off into space. The nurse had just left and unless something happened, Marinette knew she would be alone for at least another three hours. Or that’s what she thought until the window that dominated one side of the room began to slide open. Ghost Marinette could only gape because well, she was a ghost. What was she going to do? Call for help? But also because they were around fifteen or so stories up and who the hell was climbing into her window!?

She relaxed when she realized it was just Chat Noir and not an Akuma. Of course he would find out she was here. Her parents had had the news droning in the background all day which is part of the reason she had been trying so hard to manipulate the remote. If she had to listen to one more reporter talk about her suicide attempt, or how great she was, or how she had fallen victim to viscious bullying at College Francoise Dupont, she was going to scream. Scrambling out of her chair, she crossed the room and reached out a hand, wishing desperately that she could touch him, hug him. He didn’t see her though. Not ghost her, at least. His gaze was riveted to physical her. She watched his acid green eyes widen, pupils becoming slits as they roved over her prone body. She knew it had to be a lot to take in for him. The bandages, the casts, the tubes and needles and the machinery beeping softly in the background.

It took several long minutes before Chat Noir moved. He seemed rooted to the spot. But finally he crossed the room to her bedside with ghost Marinette hovering at his elbow, gaze bouncing between her partner and her body. His hand reached out, claws stopping inches away from her cheek before pulling back. A soft sound of frustration escaped him and he suddenly crouched down beside the bed and buried his fingers into his hair, tugging harshly at the blond locks. Ghost Marinette edged forward warily, feeling helpless at her inability to do anything to comfort or reassure her partner.

“Ladybug.” He said softly and Marinette froze as her blood ran cold. Surely she had mistaken? She must have heard wrong but then again, “Ladybug,  _ why? _ ”

Marinette stared slack-jawed at the blond teenager before her as he looked up, green eyes wide and desperate as he searched her face for any signs of life, any signs that she heard him. Physical Marinette remained completely impassive, but ghost Marinette was kind of freaking out. Her identity was supposed to be a secret! Hawkmoth was still at large and they absolutely could not know each other’s identities. It could very well compromise them all. Shifting awkwardly, Marinette watched the boy as he stood up and leaned closer to her.

“Ladybug, I don’t understand. I don’t understand why you couldn’t just let me in. Why didn’t you tell me how bad things had gotten? If I’d known your identity I would have… I would have helped more. I would have fought a thousand Lilas’ for you, my Lady,” he said, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. “You know, I have loved you literally since the moment I met you? You always brush me off, act like I’m joking and I play along but you’re the most incredible person I know. I just wish you weren’t so stubborn, and I wish you would accept me for me,” he sighed, running his clawed fingers lightly through her loose black locks and carefully working out some of the kinks. It was such a casual gesture, one she might not have second guessed a few weeks or even days ago. Now, Marinette suddenly felt distinctly uncomfortable. They were in a room alone and she couldn’t exactly consent to him laying his hands on her.

“You know, I know you as a Civilian. I almost fancied myself in love with Civilian you for a bit, but I was too blinded by Ladybug to notice. You were always so sweet and cute and clumsy and that little stutter of yours? Adorable. I always wondered what it would be like for you to return my feelings and now that I know, it might be too late,” he sighed, dashing away his tears before returning his hand to her face. She really wished he would stop touching her like this. Even if he hadn’t actually done anything inappropriate, the fact that she was in a coma and alone with Chat just refused to sit well with her. She had been alone with him dozens of times, had even fallen asleep with him in her bed after a movie night so why was it different now?

“You have to get better, My Lady. Please, I beg of you. You have to come back to me, Bugaboo,” he said and suddenly it clicked. Her discomfort, the reason why his touching her was suddenly making her uncomfortable. She was laying on a hospital gurney fighting for her life and still, Chat Noir (whoever he may be) still wasn’t seeing  _ her _ . He wasn’t seeing  _ Marinette _ on the bed, he was seeing  _ Ladybug _ . He was confessing to Ladybug. Marinette was simply a consolation prize to the real deal and that honestly hurt. Sure it wasn’t Chat she was interested in but he had promised to love the girl beneath the mask and  _ this _ … this wasn’t love. It was  _ obsession _ and  _ possessiveness _ and it was  _ not _ a good look on him.

Chat leaned even closer, eyes flicking down to her mouth and every single alarm bell Marinette possessed suddenly started to jangle loudly, screaming  _ abort, abort, abort! _ He couldn’t really mean to do that here, now, without her explicit consent and while she was unconscious, right? But he was getting closer and closer and Marinette was flailing beside him helplessly, unable to interact with him physically. His lips were a breath away and in a panic, she dove for the Call button. Her finger connected with the button, solidifying for the briefest moments and she was gratified when Chat jerked back as the button chimed and announced a nurse would be in shortly.

He backed off abruptly, eyes bouncing between physical Marinette and the door before finally slipping out the way he had come and disappearing into the night. Marinette had never been more relieved to see her partner leave and she watched the window until a nurse came in to check on her, tutting about faulty call buttons and system updates.

  
  
  


**2 Years Ago**

Marinette was more excited for patrol than she had been in a long time. She loved her partner, loved meeting up with him but the task was usually fairly tedious. A chore, more than anything else. Tonight, however, she found herself almost itching to leave because tonight she wouldn’t be meeting up with her partner alone. She was only too excited to introduce him to Fēiyuè. Glancing at the clock for the umpeenth time she was excited to learn that it was finally late enough that they could get going. Swivelling in her desk chair, she grinned broadly at her cousin who was busy playing a game on her phone while her Kwami rested atop her head.

“Ready to go, Bri? I can’t wait for you to meet Chat Noir,” she said excitedly, getting up and stretching her arms over her head until her back popped. Bridgette looked up with her own grin and nodded eagerly, watching curiously as her younger cousin called upon her transformation. Once the light settled and Ladybug stood where Marinette had once been, it was her turn.

“Llu, let’s leap!” She called, the Kwami immediately shooting into the anklet she wore around her right foot. Ladybug watched in fascination as the cream and brown sparkles swirled around her cousin. When they faded, Bridgette was gone and Fēiyuè stood in her place. Fēiyuè’s suit was predominately white. From the side and back of her neck down to mid thigh, was brown with a few cream spots around her hips. Her chest, belly, and her legs and feet were snow white. Her hair was pulled up into an elaborate knotted bun, a few white highlights dancing among inky black, and a pair of tall, thin curved white antlers extended from her head behind a pair of brown and white ears. Her mask is brown with cream speckles and a long brown staff is attached to her back. When she turns around, Ladybug sees a little brown and white tail extended just above her butt, twitching every now and then as if it has a mind of its own.

“Ready to show me what you’ve got?” Ladybug challenged with a grin.

“Bring it,” Fēiyuè shot back with a smirk. Not wasting anymore time, Ladybug scrambles out of her skylight with Fēiyuè at her heels. She flings her yoyo out and pauses to look at her cousin impishly.

“Try to keep up,” she teases, before yanking on the yoyo and shooting herself into the air. Fēiyuè watched her arc gracefully through the evening sky to land lightly a few rooftops over. Never one to turn down an obvious challenge, she backs up a few steps and then charges forward, using the balcony railing as a springboard to launch herself into the night sky. She rarely got to run like this in China and she relishes in the freedom of it all. As her name indicated, Fēiyuè excels at jumping. She has no need for a yoyo or a baton to get around, bounding across the rooftops easily with speed and graze and keeping pace with her cousin effortlessly. They left a little bit early so they take their time and enjoy the playful jaunt through the city before finally arriving at the Arc de Triomphe where Chat Noir is already waiting. Fēiyuè hangs back to give Ladybug time to warn her partner of her presence.

“Good evening, My Lady. It isn’t like you to be running late,” Chat Noir greeted jovially the moment she touched down. He was at her side in an instant and Fēiyuè watched with a level of interest as the tomcat swept into a gallant bow and pressed a kiss to her cousin’s hand. She also noted the discomfort immediately apparent on her cousin’s face as she pulled free and stepped back and she felt her protectiveness rear its ugly head.

“Good evening, Chat. Sorry I’m late, I was a bit distracted,” she apologized with a shrug.

“Not with another boy, I hope. If so, you’ll break this poor Kitty’s heart,” he said dramatically, leaning into her space and seeming oblivious to the way she was still shying away. Fēiyuè suddenly leaped, landing lightly between the two and causing the black cat to fall back with a yowl of surprise while Ladybug blinked up at her worriedly.

“Chat Noir, pleasure to meet you. The name’s Fēiyuè,” she greeted with a smile she knew came off as predatory. It had the desired effect as Chat gulped nervously before narrowing his eyes and attempting to appear intimidating. He only managed to look like an angry kitten, especially given she was a bit taller than he was.

“Charmed,” he said dryly before shifting his gaze towards his partner. “Uh, My Lady? Who is-”

“I’m a close personal friend of hers,” Fēiyuè said with a tight smile. “I’ll be around helping out for a few weeks until I return home.”

Chat Noir nodded slowly, looking uncertain about the whole thing but that didn’t bother Fēiyuè. If he didn’t like her, that was his own problem. As long as he kept his paws to himself and off her innocent flower of a cousin, she was happy. So she smiled cheerfully and turned towards Ladybug who was looking between them warily, perhaps calculating whether her desire to work with her partner outweighed the obvious tension between the Deer and the Black Cat holders. After a moment she sighed and forced a smile of her own.

“Well, shall we get started? The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can meet back up and you can get to know Fēiyuè better,” the spotted heroine finally said, looking pleadingly at her partner, silently asking him to play nice. He searched her gaze before giving a reluctant nod and Fēiyuè hid a grin. He would play nice, but he wouldn’t like it and that would only serve to make things even more interesting. These might just be the best two weeks of her entire life!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Luka
> 
> WARNING: Heavy feels ahead. Fresh box of tissues advised ;)
> 
> 02/18/2021 - Post Rewrite. Feel Free To Inform of any remaining discrepancies if they present themselves

**Present Time**

_ Marinette. _

“Yes, Tikki?”

_ Stop trying to manipulate the damn remote. _

“But Tikki, this is  _ worse  _ than the news,” Marinette complained, pouting as she stared forlornly up at the television where some nurse with absolutely deplorable tastes had turned on a video of XY’s last ‘concert’. She was pretty sure her brain was going to melt out of physical Marinette’s ears if someone didn’t turn this shit off. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to manipulate anything besides the call button the night Chat Noir visited. It was now the twenty-eighth of December and things hadn’t changed… at all. Her parents still visited when they could but had to help out in the bakery from time to time so they were usually only around for a few hours each day. The nurses came and went every three or so hours like clockwork, but it was mostly the cold impersonal ones. Jaqueline must have been off. Sitting in the hospital room was becoming increasingly mundane and she was about to say to hell with Tikki’s concern and walk herself to the nearest movie theater. Giving up on the remote, Marinette wandered over to the window to stare out at the Winter Wonderland below. It had snowed last night and everything was covered in a blanket of white. It was beautiful.

Her eyes lowered towards the ground and a flash of black and blue caught her eye. Pressing closer to the glass, Marinette strained her eyes to see the figure bobbing between cars, practically sprinting through the parking lot with a guitar strapped to his back. Her heart suddenly fluttered as she dared to hope and she turned towards the door just as it opened and a nurse stepped inside.

_ Marinette, don’t- _

Whatever Tikki was going to say was ignored as Marinette raced from the room, slipping out just before the door could swing shut trapping her inside. The hall outside was quiet save for the soft ticking of the clock, the shuffle of papers at the nurses station. She turned left and darted down the hall, following several twists and turns she had known her parents had taken previously until she came to a bank of elevators. Her hands wrung together, the need to go to him nearly overpowering her but no, she should wait up here. Even if she managed to manipulate both buttons, she could completely miss Luka if she wasn’t careful. So she waited. And waited, and waited and waited, eventually resorting to pacing after the tenth ding revealed an old man she knew from yesterday was here to visit his granddaughter who had been in a car accident.

Finally, after nearly twenty agonizing minutes, the elevator dinged and Luka Couffaine stepped out. He looked flushed, maybe from his run? And his eyes were bloodshot, rimmed in red with dark bags beneath them. His clothes looked like they had been worn for three days straight, his skin was pale, and his black and teal hair was tangled a tangled mess but he was here. He was  _ here _ , in the flesh and it was  _ Luka _ . She had missed him so much when he had gone on tour, but the thought of holding him back hadn’t even remotely been a possibility. Luka deserved to live his life, to enjoy it without worrying about her, even if watching him get on that plane had been like a hot poker through the heart. Luka straightened and dusted himself off before stepping out of the elevator. Of course, he didn’t notice when Marinette threw her arms around him but even though neither of them could feel the embrace it still made her feel a little bit better.

She backed up when Luka began to move, striding purposefully down the hall with that same single-minded focus he had used when he had asked her out on their first date. That same single-minded focus he had used when he had asked if he could kiss her the first time, the same focus he had when giving her the simple silver band that encircled the fourth finger on her left hand. She fiddled with the ring now, drawing comfort in the familiar gesture as Luka came to stand before the nurse station. A woman was behind the desk, more focused on her work than her surroundings and Luka had to clear his throat to get her attention. She jumped, startled, before lifting her gaze and fixing him with an annoyed glare.

“How may I help you?” She asked impatiently, and leaning over Marinette found she wasn’t doing work, she was playing a game. She had never much liked this particular nurse. She was rather mean-spirited and cold-hearted and always seemed to have a scowl on her face. Marinette had heard her yelling at several less experienced nurses for seemingly silly reasons.

“I’m here to see Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Luka didn’t let her obvious annoyance deter him, giving her a calm and easy smile. Dragon lady was less than impressed.

“Are you family?” She asked.

“I’m her Fiancee,” he responded smoothly. Both Dragon Lady and ghost Marinette gaped at him in surprise. She supposed that was one way to get into her room, if Dragon lady believed it.

“She’s only sixteen,” the woman deadpanned. The boy shrugged, seeming unconcerned and lifted his hand where a silver band matching her own glinted in the light.

“It’s not illegal to get engaged at sixteen; we’re simply waiting until she graduates to make it official,” he said and Marinette suddenly found herself rethinking the whole ring thing. Luka had just said it was a token of his affections… Had she missed something? Was it actually a  _ promise ring _ ? Did he genuinely intend to ask her to marry him at some point or was he just saying that for the benefit of the nurse who was still frowning heavily at him? More importantly, why did the thought of it being a Promise Ring make her feel all warm and fuzzy inside? She was only sixteen; Luka was three years older than she was. Which, true, it wasn’t a  _ huge _ difference but had certainly prevented them from doing anything further than kissing. Not, of course, that she was ready for anything more than that; their relationship was still young and she wasn’t quite sure she was ready to lose her virginity, though if she was she could easily imagine Luka being the one to receive it. But Luka was nothing if not a gentleman and her parents, while they had been hesitant at first of her switching her attention from the golden boy to an older bad boy type, had come to love and accept him as part of the family.

“Whatever, go in but don’t mess with anything,” she finally huffed, rolling her eyes. Luka thanked her and once she had relinquished the room number, he hurried to her door and stepped inside. Marinette followed him, wringing her hands nervously as her gaze bounced between the boy and her body. Even though she knew she wouldn’t feel it, she suddenly wanted nothing more than to have him touch her. She needed to at least know those calloused fingers were around hers. She had always loved his hands. They were large, rough from years of playing guitar and lightly scarred from years of working on his mother’s houseboat. The fingers were large and tapered, always engulfing her hands completely when she slid her hand into his and their fingers, despite the difference in size had always slotted together perfectly. Luka let out a strained breath that she hadn’t realized he had been holding in and when she looked up, silent tears were trailing down his cheeks. It took forever for him to finally force his feet to move, crossing the room and dropping into the chair that was pulled right up beside the bed.

“Marinette,” he whispered, reaching out before stopping just before his fingers brushed hers. He hesitated, seeming torn and Marinette willed physical her to reach up and grab his hand but not even a finger twitched.

“Luka, please,” she said even knowing he couldn’t hear her, her ghost fingers reaching out to trace over the back of his hand. As expected, she couldn’t feel a thing. She was more busy staring at his hand hovering over hers and tracing the familiar scars, so she didn’t immediately notice where his gaze was directed until she looked up and suddenly found herself face to face with the boy. He seemed confused. Not like he could see her, but like he could sense her there. Her breath hitched. “Luka, can you hear me?”

His expression didn’t change; he was still trying to puzzle through it but suddenly she felt warmth and she looked back down to feel his fingers twining through physical Marinette’s. She… she could feel that. How could she feel that? All the poking and prodding from the nurses, the gentle touches of her parents and her Nonna. She felt none of that but this simple touch she could feel. Her breath hitched, tears pooling in ghost Marinette’s eyes and she lifted a hand to cover her mouth. Luka was looking at physical Marinette now, his expression pained as he took in her injuries. The stark emotion on his face was enough to make her knees weak, his expression was so raw and open. She didn’t know how, she didn’t know why, but Luka sensed she was here where no one else had and words couldn’t describe how happy that made her.

“ _ Ma Mélodie _ , I’m sorry,” he breathed shakily, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against the back of her hand. “I’m sorry, I am so, so sorry. I should have been there. I should have stayed. This is all my fault.”

“No. Luka, no, none of this is your fault,” she insisted, shuffling closer until she could rest a hand on his back. He didn’t react to her words or her touch. “You were so amazing, Luka, and I love you so much. But I can’t stay. I ruin everything I touch, like poison. You deserve better,” she whispered, reaching out to run her fingers lightly through his bangs. There was a long stretch of silence when all she could hear was his ragged breathing and the steady beeps of the heart monitor and then, almost too quietly to hear,

“You don’t get to decide that.” Marinette reeled back, wide eyed as she was once again met with a gaze as deeply blue as the mediteranian sea. This time, they were hard and determined instead of confused and she swallowed thickly.

“You can hear me?” She asked, and he cocked his head slightly with his brow furrowed as if he was listening to something before shaking his head.

“Not the way you think. I can hear you in here,” he tapped his chest before glancing back at her body with a frown. “It’s more a sense of your feelings than actual words, but I can get the gist. And I can tell the general area of where you’re standing, that you’re not… on the bed. But I can’t see you.” His gaze shifted back to ghost her and there it was again. That raw, soul-bearing look that made her feel as if her heart were being ripped from her chest.

“Luka,” she whispered pleadingly.

“You lied to me, Marinette,” he accused, looking silently resigned. “You told me you were fine. You  _ promised _ you’d be here when I got home.”

“I am here,” she whispered.

“The hell you are!” He snapped, blue fire flashing in his eyes before he forced himself to lower his voice, partially because he hated yelling at people, especially Marinette, but also because he really didn’t want to be admitted to a psych ward. Or worse, kicked out of the hospital. “You aren’t here, Marinette. You haven’t been here for a long time. You ghosted me, as if I meant nothing. After all I’ve done; I’ve given you every part of myself, I’ve tried to be understanding but this? This I can’t understand,” he said in a softer tone, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, tears welling up but he shook his head, once again looking more resigned than angry.

“You aren’t sorry,  _ Ma Mélodie. _ If you were, you wouldn’t be giving up. You would be fighting to reclaim your life but this… you’ve already accepted death and you expect everyone who loves you to accept it too,” he growled.

“Luka, if you would just listen and try to understand-”

“No! No, you listen. I refuse to accept it, Marinette. You can call me selfish all you want but I want you to  _ live _ . I want you to  _ survive _ and I want you to come back to me because  _ I’m not ready to be alone _ . I’m not ready to say goodbye. Please.  _ Please _ , I need you to fight,” he was facing her fully now, desperation coloring his tone and tears pooling at the corners of his eyes.

“I can’t.”

“You mean you won’t. You’re letting her win, Mari. You told me that you would never let her win, but that is exactly what you’re doing now,” he scoffed and she flinched at the derision in his tone, even if she knew he wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt her.

“She’s already won, Luka.”

“She only wins if you die. You should think about that,” he said, turning back to her body and once again taking her hand in his. Marinette watched silently as his shoulders shook with barely suppressed sobs, inexplicably feeling as if she was intruding on this moment. The door was still open enough for her to slip out, so with one last lingering glance, Marinette left the room to give him the privacy he deserved. Luka didn’t stop her and she didn’t look back.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to Naruwitch and MusiciansMaid for suggesting the Wolf and the Skunk. Hope you enjoy our newest characters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI7lSqMSq5U) **
> 
> is the song Luka is singing in the chapter

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

_**Welcome back, lovelies. I hope you missed me haha. As of 02/18/2021, Supernovian is OFFICIALLY updated and back on track, complete with a whole new chapter. I appreciate your patience as I worked through some personal issues. Honestly the update wasn't the issue, I literally just spent the last several hours doing it and it was a lot less intensive than I originally thought it was going to be. I think my real issue was that this story hits really close to home with me.** _

_**I don't usually like stories with heavy suicide themes because as many of you have pointed out, they often fall flat. It brings me so much joy to know that I am doing this particular theme justice but it is also most likely because I, myself, have been there. Back in August of 2016, I tried to kill myself. I don't think I actually wanted to die. I had idealized suicide for so long at this point and I thought that was fine, that I was too much of a wimp to actually go through with it. And then my anxiety spiked and it felt like the world was against me. I started having panic attacks more frequently, felt like a burden to my parents, and often felt as if my friends were avoiding hanging out with me. And one day, it got to be too much and I snapped. I wanted to die. Or I thought I did. Thinking back now, I realize that if I had truly wanted to die I wouldn't have gone into my shift at work and taken the pills the way I did. I would have stayed home, called out and done it that way. That was my cry for help. I was twenty one, i think, by that point. Or twenty. But anyway, luckily after a friend of mine came into work he realized pretty quickly that something was wrong and fear ended up making me admit that I needed to go to the hospital, rather than home and clearly, I lived to tell the tale. My point is, as bleak as things might seem, they are NEVER so bad that you should feel the need to take your own life. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. If you ever feel like you want to take your own life, please reach out to someone. A close friend, a family member, hell you can even email me directly at Epiclilkittywrites@gmail.com and I will be your shoulder to cry on. My life is pretty shitty at times. But it is NEVER so bad that death is a better option. I know that now, and I hope you all know it too <3** _

_**Now that the heavy stuff is out of the way, I really quickly want to go over the rewrite for those of you who don't want to go back and reread everything** _

_**1\. Present day Marinette is 16 and in her second year of Lycee. She spent her first year of Lycee (1yr ago Marinette) at Lycee Francoise Dupont with the rest of her former classmates. She tranferred to Lycee Voltaire at the end of her first year to escape the bullying** _

_**2\. Bridgette and Marinette's younger male cousin has been renamed Aoi instead of Anko** _

_**3\. All discrepancies regarding her attire and also her school age have been fixed** _

_**4\. Allegra, Allan, and Claude of the Quantic Kids have been added in as friends of Luka's and members of the Marinette Protection Squad** _

_**I am sure there is more I am forgetting but most of the edits were fairly minor so without further ado, enjoy Chapter 11!** _

**Present Day**

“Ugh, everything  _ hurts _ ,” Bridgette Cheng complained, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back slightly in an effort to work out the various kinks. Nearly twenty hours on a plane, and she hadn’t slept a wink of it. She needed some ibuprofen and a bed, stat, but first they had to get to the hospital.

“I told you to sleep on the plane,” a male voice said behind her, and the young woman scowled as she turned to face her boyfriend and his twin brother. Felix Graham arched a brow, unimpressed by her intimidation tactics. Probably because while Bridgette was tall, Felix still stood a head and a half taller.

“It’s true, Bri. He did tell you that,” Lucien chirped, poking his head out from behind his brother with an easy grin. Felix and Lucien were pretty hard to tell apart if you didn’t know them. They were both tall, lithe, and fair of skin with chin-length blond hair and frost blue eyes. But where Felix was cold and frigid, Lucien was warm and energetic. The two were as different as night and day, but she couldn’t imagine life without either one of them.

“I’m grieving, you two should be more sensitive,” she retorted dryly. Lucien’s face shifted into an apologetic wince and he ducked back behind his brother. Felix’s chastising look didn’t shift, but his hand did brush hers and she knew from three years of dating him that this was his way of offering her comfort. He certainly wasn’t the type for grand gestures or emotional proclamations but Felix did show his love in little ways that others might overlook. They were quite opposite in that respect. Bridgette was more like Lucien with his go big or go home attitude but they do say opposites attract and she and Felix worked well together. It was why he held the elusive Wolf Miraculous, Protector of the Deer and her beloved partner.

Like her, Felix and Lucien inherited their Miraculous’ from family members. The Wolf of Protection and the Skunk of Valor. They had met around the time they were ten and while they had never done more than fight petty crime, they hadn’t hesitated to offer to join her when she announced she was going to Paris. With Ladybug out of commission, Felix would certainly come in handy. He couldn’t purify the Akuma like Tikki could, but he could trap them until they could eventually be purified at a later date. Of course, wherever Felix went Lucien was sure to follow so they had offered to accompany her and her family on their trip to Paris. Their family members had booked various flights but Bridgette and the boys were the first to arrive. With school out for break, they hadn’t had anything to hold them back, whereas her family had to figure out arrangements for work, babysitters for those who wouldn’t be bringing their children and the like. It was bad enough that the earliest she had been able to book a flight had been January 2nd, two whole weeks after they had heard the news.

Bridgette had spent the past two weeks wracked with worry and guilt and even though Felix wanted them to go to the hotel, freshen up a bit and maybe get some rest before they attempted to go visit the hospital, she was determined to go straight there. Felix, being the smart one in the group, knew when to pick his battles and this wasn’t one he really wanted to try fighting. He knew how stubborn Bri could get, especially when it came to her younger cousin, so he had agreed to go to the hospital first. If nothing else, they could check on her really quickly and put Bridgette’s mind to ease and then he could manhandle her into going to take a nap. She was running on adrenaline and anxiety right now, but she physically looked ready to drop at any moment. The trio set off for the baggage claim where they picked up their things and then headed out to find the limo the Cheng Family had booked for them for the duration of their stay in Paris. The Cheng Family was full of Lawyers, Neurosurgeons, and Movie Stars, so they were fairly well off.

The ride to the hospital was a quiet one, save for the constant excited chatter from Lucien as he watched Paris pass outside the limo’s windows. He had never been outside of China and while he loved his home and the beauty of the landscape, Paris was a whole other kind of beauty that he was excited to explore. The ride wasn’t very long, maybe about twenty minutes, and Bridgette was out of the limo almost before it came to a complete stop. Felix stopped Lucien when he would have taken off after her. This was something she needed to do alone. He understood that, even if he didn’t like it. They would wait in the lobby for her to return. Bridgette didn’t bother with the ground floor information center, taking the elevator straight up to the ICU level. She found her way to the Nurse’s station, slightly out of breath.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, please?” She asked. The nurse looked up and then did a double take. Bridgette didn’t think too much on that; she knew that they looked nearly identical outside of her greater height and longer hair. Her face was also a bit more narrow, while Marinette’s was still soft and round.

“Room 135A, right down that hall. Her fiancee is in there with her,” she said pointing. Bridgette nodded, hiding the frown that immediately sprang to her face by turning away. It was true that she and Marinette hadn’t conversed quite as much in the past year or so, and when they did it was more often than not about Miraculous stuff. She knew that her cousin had been head over heels for a certain blond model for awhile now. Bridgette had gotten to meet Adrien last time she was in Paris, along with Alya and Nino and the rest of their friends. Adrien seemed nice enough, if a bit too oblivious but Bridgette had never really approved of the blond. He didn’t seem good enough for her  _ Xiǎohuā. _ Mainly because he seemed to lack a backbone. Granted, if she were being honest with herself she wasn’t sure anybody was good enough for her Marebear. Like Marinette, Bridgette was an only child and had always yearned for a brother or sister. Marinette was the closest she had ever gotten to having a sibling and she loved her dearly. Given the fact that she could have lost her a week ago, might still lose her as she was in no way out of the woods yet, she was feeling even more territorial than usual.

Bridgette refrained from running to the room and yelling at the guy to get lost, mostly because she didn’t want to disturb anyone in the rooms around her but also because she wanted to approach this situation with caution. She assumed it was Adrien, and she figured she could handle Adrien. Marinette wouldn’t like it if she scared off her ‘fiancee’ so she would go in there with an open mind and try to be civil. Maybe, if she was lucky, he would understand that he had overstayed his welcome and bow out without her having to say anything. She could only hope. The door to room 135A was slightly ajar and she paused just outside, eyebrows inching up as she heard the unmistakable sounds of a guitar and the soft, deep voice singing quietly along. Hesitating only briefly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. The door shut with a nearly inaudible click behind her, but the guitarist didn’t seem to notice, too focused on the instrument in his hands. Her eyebrows raised even further, because that wasn’t Adrien in the chair. It was a boy she had never met, or even heard of which was even more unlike her cousin. She felt her eyes narrow, suddenly wary of this boy who had been alone with her cousin for who knew how long? Surely Uncle Tom and Aunt Sà bīn weren’t okay with this?

“Perhaps you should give him the benefit of the doubt,” Llu whispered, popping out of her shirt pocket to blink at her with worried green eyes. Bridgette didn’t answer right away, her lips set in a hard, thin line. “He is her teammate, Bri. We should trust in him as we trust in your own team.”

“Not the cat?” She whispered, finally tearing her eyes away from the boy to glance down at the Kwami. Llu had his gaze focused on the boy and finally shook his head.

“It’s hard to tell… he isn’t wearing the Miraculous; a temporary hero. If I had to wager, though, I’d guess the Snake? Sass has always had excellent judgement when it comes to his Chosen.” Llu explained. “And he has always had a soft spot for musicians; he likes the vibrations.” Bridgette looked back uncertainly, focusing on the music instead of the boy himself. It really was a beautiful song, heartfelt and heartbroken. The song of someone who had loved deeply and who was facing the unknown of losing that love. The lyrics were… a painful reminder of just why they were in this room and they made her instant dislike of him lose the slightest bit of heat because he was clearly hurting the way she was hurting.

_ “We had plans, we had visions, now I can't see ahead _

_ We were one, we were golden, forever, you said _

_ But I can't be sober, I cannot sleep _

_ You've got your peace now, but what about me? _

_ Thought we had the time, had our lives _

_ Now you'll never get older, older _

_ Didn't say goodbye, now I'm frozen in time _

_ Getting colder, colder.” _

The words seemed to perfectly encapsulate their current situation and Bridgette found herself almost feeling bad for this strange young man who may or may not be engaged to her cousin. Whether it was true or he had lied to get into the room, one thing was perfectly clear. He had loved her cousin deeply and that, at least, was something that he and Bridgette had in common. 

  
  
  


Having Luka here was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, Marinette had always felt more at ease in his presence. Luka had this soothing and comforting vibe that had always managed to calm her even when she was at her most rattled, a feat not many could claim. She had missed him terribly during his tour and he was right. She had pulled away, shut him out, because despite all the pain Lila had inflicted upon her in the last year, being away from Luka had been ten times worse. It was like missing a vital piece of herself that she didn’t know how to function without and she had been trying to hide it, to not let him see how she was crumbling without him to lean on. She hated having to be so dependent upon him, but he had become her rock and there were times when she didn’t even know how she had ever managed without him. Marinette had always been a high energy person, even as a kid. She moved to her own beat, thinking a mile a minute and was always on this whole other wave-length than those around her. With Luka, it was different. With Luka, she always felt perfectly in sync despite their differences. He had a way of easing her anxieties with just a word, a simple touch or a reassuring smile.

On the other hand, having Luka here meant she had to bear witness to his tears, his grief, his anger as he tried to come to terms with what had happened. There were times over the last few days when he had talked to her as if it were a completely normal day, as if they were hanging out on the  _ Liberty _ or going on a date and not stuck in the ICU at a hospital. He would joke, laugh, and tease as if everything were as it should be. Other times he just crumpled, sometimes seemingly out of the blue. She’s not sure in those moments if it’s a memory that does him in, or if just looking at her in that hospital bed looking so broken is enough to deteriorate his carefully crafted mask of serenity. Maybe it’s a combination of both, but he can go from teasing and joking to this keening grief that claws at the foundation of her very being in seconds and makes her rethink everything she has done to get to this point. The anger is the worst, probably because she knows he is justified in his anger. If Luka feels used, it’s probably because she really had used him.

She loves Luka, with every fiber of her being. But she has taken so much of him and given him so little in return. He has been so good and kind and supportive and she knows he hates how she made this decision to remove herself from the equation, hates even more how she refuses to budge on her resolve that she won’t get better. Physically, her body is healing. Slowly, but still healing. The Miraculous can only do so much, though. It can fix her body, but her mind is another matter and Tikki has voiced her fears on a few occasions now that her mind will soon start to deteriorate if she doesn’t start fighting to get better. Her placid take on the situation is only going to make things worse. It is terrifying, the unknown of the whole situation but she doesn’t know what to do or how to fix it. All she knows is that nagging feeling of doubt, the insidious feeling of guilt and regret starting to worm it’s way into her mind because of the boy currently sitting at her bedside, guitar settled across his lap as he plucks aimlessly at the strings with no rhyme or rhythm.

Luka has visited every day since he returned to Paris, arriving early in the morning and not leaving until the end of visiting hours. He would stay overnight if she allowed it, but she is stubborn and is afraid he won’t take care of himself properly if he doesn’t go home and relax for at least a few hours each day. It’s still relatively early in the afternoon. Her parents would be by after dinner once the bakery closed, and Rose and Juleka had stopped in very briefly that morning. They were the only two from her class who had come by, but that hadn’t surprised Marinette and honestly? She wasn’t even sure Luka would allow them to see her if they did stop by. There was no love lost between him and her classmates who had followed Lila blindly as she systematically destroyed everything Marinette held dear. Well, almost everything. She hadn’t taken Luka away, and not for lack of trying. Luka, as he loved to point out, simply knew how to think for himself unlike her classmates who he regularly referred to as Cattle, or Sheep.

Jagged Stone and Penny Rollings had also been cashing in their frequent visitor points. They stopped by almost daily and while their visits were typically short, never lasting more than an hour or two, they always managed to bring a smile to Marinette’s face. Aside from a few tears shed during their first visit, Jagged had spent most of his visits regaling Marinette with stories from their tour that would have had physical Marinette rolling with laughter had she not been in a coma. Stories that she would have already known had she bothered to keep in contact with Luka. Had she let him in, rather than push him out. Regret and guilt over her actions were also frequent visitors these days. Marinette wasn’t necessarily sorry for what she had done, nor was she quite ready to wish it undone. But she regretted how much pain she had inflicted upon the few people who still loved her. Even now, a week since the accident, she could see the toll it was taking on Luka. He was hunched over his guitar at her bedside, and she knew that he knew she was watching him from the corner of the room, near the bank of windows that dominated the wall opposite the door. But today, like most days, Luka remained more focused on physical Marinette.

Since their argument a few days ago, if one could call it that, Luka had only spoken a few clipped words to her, to  _ Spirit Marinette _ . He was still angry. He had every right to be. He focused on physical Marinette because she was tangible. She was still there, breathing. Sure, there was a machine that was largely aiding in her ability to breath thanks to her collapsed lung, but it was something. She wasn’t brain dead, yet. Physical Marinette gave Luka hope, no matter how fleeting that hope was. Spirit Marinette was done trying to convince him that she wasn't coming back from this. Let their last few minutes, hours, or days be peaceful, rather than combative. He would grieve when she was well and truly gone but for now… for now she would let him cling to what little hope he had left. She owed him that much. Lost in her inner dwellings, Marinette didn’t immediately notice she had a new visitor until she was standing right behind Luka with a conflicted look on her face. And for a second, Marinette almost believed she was seeing a ghost version of herself. Or… a second ghost version of herself. Then she took in the longer hair, taller stature, and slightly sharper features and elation replaced the shock and confusion.

Bridgette’s expression was pinched and wary as she watched Luka play and sing, but as his lyrics and the notes of the song filled the air, the older girl slowly softened. It was a far cry from when she had met Adrien and immediately glared him into submission. It wasn’t great, but it was a start. Especially considering that Marinette had never told her cousin about Luka. She had wanted to keep her newfound relationship with him under wraps for a multitude of reasons, but the main one had been because she feared she would jinx it if she talked about it and she hadn’t been able to bear the thought of losing Luka. Funny how now, it was Luka who stood to lose her instead of the other way around. Bridgette had always been protective of Marinette, and the younger girl appreciated the hell out of her for it. Often she had found herself tempted to admit to Bridgette everything that had been going on at school with Lila because she  _ knew _ her cousin would hop on the next available flight and come beat some sense into her classmates, teachers, and parents. But Bridgette was in her final year of high school and on track to get into her dream college. She had friends, a boyfriend, a whole life that didn’t revolve around Marinette and she hadn’t wanted to mess that up for her. Much like with Luka, Marinette hadn’t wanted to burden Bridgette with her issues and so she had kept quiet, subtly lessening their contact as weeks slipped into months.

The heavy  _ thwang _ of the guitar broke her from her musings and had everyone in the room flinching at the harsh sound. Luka stared at the instrument in his hands, the broken string that had caused the inharmonious sound drooping listlessly towards the ground. His knuckles whitened as his grip on the neck of the guitar tightened and with his hair shrouding his face, it wasn’t until she noticed his shoulders shaking that he realized he was crying again. Her heart wrenched in her chest and Marinette took a step forward, hand outstretched in hopes of offering him some comfort, but it was Bridgette who ended up going to him before she could. Her hands settled on his shoulders, squeezing softly and Luka looked up at her, his confusion brief. There were over a dozen pictures of Marinette and Bridgette all over her room. Pictures he had studied on numerous occasions as Marinette told story after story of her adventures with her cousin. Bridgette and Luka didn’t know each other, had never met, but in that moment an understanding passed between them in their shared grief that made Marinette hope that maybe, just maybe, they would both be okay when she was gone. Maybe they would find comfort in each other, become friends after this tragedy they shared. She would be okay if she could live on in their memories of a much brighter, happier her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Felix episode never happened. Felix Graham IS the cousin of Adrien, however he is older (a few years older than Bridgette) and never spent much time around the Agrestes. Lucien is his twin brother. They resemble Felix from the original concept video

**Author's Note:**

> Let Me Know What You Think!


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